Illini or Wolverine

The two routes share one station, Chicago Union Station. The table lists what each shows and how long each takes; the route pages carry the full stretch tables.

Side by side

IlliniWolverine
EndpointsCarbondale to Chicago Union StationChicago Union Station to Pontiac
Duration, end to end5 h 30 m6 h 26 m
FrequencyDaily5 days a week
Trains392 northbound, 393 southbound350 eastbound, 355 westbound
Named stretches with a cited source44
ShowsPrairie, Big citiesBig cities
Headline stretchIllinois Corn BeltIndiana Dunes
Headline stretch in daylightnorthbound: daylight Jun to Jul; dusk Aug; dark Sep to Mar; dusk Apr to May, 7:41 p.m.; southbound: daylight Mar to Sep; dusk Oct; dark Nov to Jan; dusk Feb, 5:55 p.m.eastbound: daylight Feb to Nov; dawn Dec to Jan, 7:36 a.m.; westbound: dark, 9:27 p.m.

Duration, frequency, and daylight are computed from the Amtrak GTFS timetable (fetched 2026-10-15) for the representative trip in each direction; daylight is the phrase for the headline stretch, the highlighted row of each route page. Named stretches are counted from the cited route guides. How these are computed.

Stations both routes serve

Chicago Union Station

In the order the Illini reaches them. Transfer times are not checked.

Route pages