Amtrak’s weekday Saluki starts by bus and reaches Chicago an hour later
Amtrak Saluki buses will replace weekday trains between Carbondale and Champaign-Urbana from October 5 to 30, with riders from Carbondale leaving an hour earlier and reaching Chicago an hour later.
The change applies on weekdays only: October 5–9, 12–16, 19–23 and 26–30. On weekends the Saluki keeps its full Carbondale–Chicago schedule, as shown in the Saluki timetable dated October 2.
How the weekday Saluki will run
Southbound, train 391 keeps its usual 8:15 a.m. departure from Chicago Union Station but ends its run at Champaign-Urbana, where the weekday timetable has it arriving at 10:47 a.m. Passengers continuing between Champaign-Urbana and Carbondale switch to bus 3391. Amtrak has not published times for that bus.
Northbound, bus 3390 takes over from train 390 between Carbondale and Champaign-Urbana and runs an hour ahead of the regular train schedule, Amtrak’s customer notice shows. The bus leaves Carbondale at 6:30 a.m., Du Quoin at 6:51 a.m., Centralia at 7:23 a.m., Effingham at 8:09 a.m. and Mattoon at 8:33 a.m.
Train 390 then departs Champaign-Urbana at 11:24 a.m., an hour later than usual, and reaches Chicago at 2:00 p.m. instead of 1:00 p.m. A weekday trip from Carbondale to Chicago therefore takes seven and a half hours, against five and a half on the regular schedule. Rantoul, Gilman, Kankakee and Homewood also see the northbound train an hour later than on weekends, while southbound times north of Champaign-Urbana stay the same.
| Station | Weekdays (Mon–Fri) | Saturdays and Sundays |
|---|---|---|
| Carbondale | 6:30 a.m. (bus 3390) | 7:30 a.m. |
| Du Quoin | 6:51 a.m. (bus 3390) | 7:51 a.m. |
| Centralia | 7:23 a.m. (bus 3390) | 8:23 a.m. |
| Effingham | 8:09 a.m. (bus 3390) | 9:09 a.m. |
| Mattoon | 8:33 a.m. (bus 3390) | 9:33 a.m. |
| Champaign-Urbana | 11:24 a.m. (train 390) | 10:24 a.m. |
| Rantoul | 11:38 a.m. | 10:38 a.m. |
| Gilman | 12:05 p.m. | 11:05 a.m. |
| Kankakee | 12:31 p.m. | 11:31 a.m. |
| Homewood | 1:10 p.m. | 12:10 p.m. |
| Chicago Union Station (arrival) | 2:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
On weekdays the northbound Saluki trip from Carbondale begins an hour earlier by bus and ends in Chicago an hour later than on weekends. Departure times are shown except for Chicago. Amtrak has not published when bus 3390 reaches Champaign-Urbana. Sources: Amtrak customer notice PDN 0925-75r and Saluki timetable dated October 2, 2026.
Illini and City of New Orleans keep their schedules
The Illini, which shares the Saluki route, is not part of the adjustment. Its current timetable still lists daily trains over the full route, with train 392 leaving Carbondale at 4:15 p.m. and train 393 leaving Chicago at 4:05 p.m. The long-distance City of New Orleans also appears as a daily train in a schedule dated September 30, calling northbound at Carbondale at 1:18 a.m. and at Champaign-Urbana at 4:30 a.m.
| Station | Toward Chicago | From Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Carbondale | Illini 392: 4:15 p.m. City of New Orleans 58: 1:18 a.m. |
Illini 393: 9:35 p.m. City of New Orleans 59: 11:54 p.m. |
| Du Quoin | Illini 392: 4:36 p.m. City of New Orleans: no stop |
Illini 393: 9:07 p.m. City of New Orleans: no stop |
| Centralia | Illini 392: 5:08 p.m. City of New Orleans 58: 2:13 a.m. |
Illini 393: 8:34 p.m. City of New Orleans 59: 10:52 p.m. |
| Effingham | Illini 392: 5:54 p.m. City of New Orleans 58: 3:10 a.m. |
Illini 393: 7:47 p.m. City of New Orleans 59: 10:01 p.m. |
| Mattoon | Illini 392: 6:19 p.m. City of New Orleans 58: 3:38 a.m. |
Illini 393: 7:23 p.m. City of New Orleans 59: 9:36 p.m. |
| Chicago Union Station | Illini 392 arrives 9:45 p.m. City of New Orleans 58 arrives 7:15 a.m. |
Illini 393 leaves 4:05 p.m. City of New Orleans 59 leaves 6:05 p.m. |
Both trains are listed as daily and call at the stations served by the weekday Saluki bus, except that the City of New Orleans does not stop at Du Quoin. Times after midnight belong to the overnight run of the City of New Orleans. Sources: Illini timetable and City of New Orleans timetable dated September 30, 2026.
Line work cited by the City of Carbondale
Amtrak’s notice attributes the change only to planned service changes. In a release on October 2, the City of Carbondale said Canadian National Railway would carry out line work on tracks north of Carbondale during October. No notice from Canadian National describing the work was available.
The city also said online booking does not flag the change, and that after a booking is made an Amtrak agent emails the passenger with options to change the reservation, rebook or request a full refund. Amtrak directs customers to Amtrak.com, its mobile app or 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) for reservations and train status.
Illini and Saluki service on CN tracks
Together, the Illini and Saluki provide two daily round trips between Chicago and Carbondale. Amtrak operates them as state-supported trains, with the Illinois Department of Transportation as sponsoring partner, and Canadian National is the in-state host railroad, according to Amtrak’s fiscal year 2025 Illinois fact sheet. The same report counts 254,996 boardings and alightings at Champaign-Urbana and 82,122 at Carbondale, totals that include every Amtrak train calling there, and puts the route’s customer on-time performance at 85.7%.
