CHICAGO — Amtrak will operate modified schedules for two Illinois Service trains to allow passengers to better view the solar eclipse coming up on April 8, the passenger operator has announced.
On that day, Saluki train No. 391 will depart Chicago earlier, at 6:35 a.m., arriving at Carbondale, Ill., at 12:05 p.m. to reach the Area of Totality in time for the eclipse. A returning train, Illini No. 392, will depart Carbondale later, at 6:40 p.m., returning to Chicago at 12:10 a.m.
While the regular departure time for No. 392 is well after the conclusion of the eclipse, Amtrak has negotiated a later departure time with Canadian National because gridlocked roads following a 2017 eclipse made it difficult for some passengers to reach the station in time for the regular departure, an Amtrak spokesman said in an email to Trains News Wire.
Carbondale is on the center line for the path of totality and will see 4 minutes, 9 seconds of totality, according to this state of Illinois website, which has information on viewing the eclipse. The state Department of Transportation also has eclipse information here. There’s also much more on the eclipse at Trains.com’s sister website, Astronomy.com.
The schedule changes could affect those who normally make connections with Metra or other commuter services. Please see the Metra website or Ventra app for schedule information.
— Updated at 12:20 p.m. CT with additional information on departure time for Train No. 392.
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