Just under the sign reading “Welcome to Mattoon” on the edge of that town, Charleston’s neighboring city advertises that it is “An Amtrak Community.”

Now Eastern, the city of Mattoon, and Amtrak are working together to extend that community to campus.

The company is looking to add two new trains to the four that are already on its schedule. Right now, students looking to depart from Mattoon to Chicago (or vice versa) have a choice between taking a train that leaves before dawn or one that leaves late in the day.

The two new trains however, will “be operating at much more reasonable hours,” said Alan Gilmore, Mattoon city administrator.

While all schedules are tentative at this point, both northbound and southbound trains would depart at approximately 8:30 a.m., and arrive at their destination at about 11:30 a.m. This would allow students the luxury of much more flexible schedules.

This past May, Eastern and Charleston administrators met with representatives from the city of Mattoon. Among the topics discussed was the Amtrak expansion.

Eastern President Lou Hencken was particularly enthusiastic about the new travel opportunities the expansion would present to the Eastern community, Gilmore said.

“It would certainly benefit our students who live north of Mattoon and our faculty/staff who conduct business north of Mattoon,” Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations.”

Last year 43 percent of students hailed from the Chicago area, according to Eastern’s department of planning and institutional studies.

With this in mind, Gilmore believes that the train’s new northbound route could help ease the strain on student’s wallets, what with ever-rising gas prices.

Students may not even have to worry about driving to and from the station.

“Additional shuttle service to and from the train station may be considered once the revised train schedule is finalized,” Nilsen said.

Gilmore says that there are connecting trains, as well as bus routes to accommodate students that live outside the Chicago area.

Gilmore also said that more concrete information will be available after the September 19 meeting of the Illinois Rail Coalition.

Patrice McKee, a senior health studies major, boards the Amtrack train to Chicago at the Mattoon train station on Tuesday evening.

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