Illinois Zephyr or Saluki

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 ZephyrSaluki
EndpointsQuincy to Chicago Union StationCarbondale to Chicago Union Station
Duration, end to end4 h 21 m5 h 30 m
FrequencyDailyDaily
Trains380 eastbound, 383 westbound390 northbound, 391 southbound
Named stretches with a cited source34
ShowsBig citiesPrairie, Big cities
Headline stretchSouth Branch of the Chicago RiverIllinois Corn Belt
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, 10:57 a.m.; southbound: daylight, 10:07 a.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