Illinois Zephyr or Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner

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 Missouri River Runner
EndpointsQuincy to Chicago Union StationKansas City to Chicago Union Station
Duration, end to end4 h 21 m11 h 20 m
FrequencyDailyDaily
Trains380 eastbound, 383 westbound318 eastbound, 319 westbound
Named stretches with a cited source39
ShowsBig citiesBig rivers, Big cities, Wildlife, Wine country
Headline stretchSouth Branch of the Chicago RiverMissouri River bluffs at Jefferson City
Headline stretch in daylighteastbound: daylight, 10:23 a.m.; westbound: daylight Mar to Sep; dusk Oct; dark Nov to Feb, 6:04 p.m.eastbound: daylight, 12:12 p.m.; westbound: daylight Feb to Oct; dusk Nov to Jan, 5:10 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