Illinois Zephyr or Lincoln Service

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

Illinois ZephyrLincoln Service
EndpointsQuincy to Chicago Union StationSt. Louis to Chicago Union Station
Duration, end to end4 h 21 m5 h 5 m
FrequencyDailyDaily
Trains380 eastbound, 383 westbound302 northbound, 305 southbound
Named stretches with a cited source36
ShowsBig citiesBig cities, Big rivers, Wildlife
Headline stretchSouth Branch of the Chicago RiverMississippi River, Eads Bridge, and the Gateway Arch
Headline stretch in daylighteastbound: daylight, 10:23 a.m.; westbound: daylight Mar to Sep; dusk Oct; dark Nov to Feb, 6:04 p.m.northbound: daylight Apr to Aug; dawn Sep to Mar, 6:57 a.m.; southbound: dark, 10:00 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 Illinois Zephyr reaches them. Transfer times are not checked.

Route pages