Status Discontinued Distance travelled 185 miles (298 km) Service frequency Daily Start Chicago Union Station First service 27 April 1986 Service type Inter-city rail | Locale Illinois Average journey time 3 hours and 30 minutes Last service 28 June 1996 End Springfield station Former operator Amtrak Stops 6 | |
Class(es) Custom class and unreserved coach | ||
The Loop was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and Springfield, Illinois. The Loop began on April 27, 1986, with funding support from the state of Illinois. The train acted as a counterpart to the State House, departing Chicago in the morning and returning in the afternoon. Funding shortfalls eliminated Saturday service in mid-1995, and the train ended altogether on June 28, 1996, after Illinois withdrew its support.
The Loop originally operated with refurbished bilevel cars from the Chicago & North Western Railway, but by 1987 Amtrak substituted Amfleet coaches, later supplemented by Horizon Fleet coaches.
References
Loop (Amtrak train) Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA