I drove to Champaign to catch the City of New Orleans Amtrak train, looking to use the free parking I had heard was available. It was very convenient. There is a fairly large well-lit lot (that was mostly empty when I arrived) just on the other side of the tracks from the station (go around the block to the east). The lot is marked with signs saying "Illinois Terminal. Parking by Permit Only." The easiest approach is to park there and walk around the north side to the station. Once inside Illinois Terminal, go to the second floor (the Amtrak area) and look for the sign on the pole saying "Long Term Parking Registration." Grab a blank form, fill it out (car make/color/license, Amtrak reservation number, name, phone, date returning), and drop it in the box. All set. Nothing to put in your car. The station itself is clean, attractive, and comfortable. Nothing outstanding, but perfectly usable. When the train arrives, they have a system of a single file line outside the door, where they check off everyone's name before sending them to the train. Definitely a fine option for parking and catching the City of New Orleans. read more

Amtrak - Long-term Amtrak parking lot (station just on the other side of the tracks) - Train Stations Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Amtrak is such a convenient method of travel, and so much more relaxing than flying. Champaign Illinois, where I often board, has a new terminal. It's nice and clean but visually boring. I miss the old train station and its architectural details and history. Perhaps I also miss my memories of that place, too. The new terminal and the trains are very clean, but sometimes I think they Herve been sanitized and the history, romance, and charm of train travel have been scrubbed away, too. read more

Amtrak - Train Stations Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

the train ride to Champaign from Kankakee was good the only complaint I have is the windows are very dirty you can't see outside when traveling I wonder does anybody clean them ?other wise the conductors are very nice. read more

Expect your train to be 20 minutes late. The staff is super friendly and helpful. Also since it's attached to the bus terminal, it's a great location to explore the town! read more

Amtrak - Upstairs lobby - Train Stations Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Laura runs this joint. She's great keeps all us passengers lined up and ready to board. Keeping them trains on time y'all read more

Amtrak - Train Stations Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

My daughters and I ride the Amtrak south the Carbondale and north to Chicago frequently. The staff at the Champaign station are always friendly and helpful and they all have a good sense of humor. My 13yr old daughter travels alone at times. I always feel safe with the staff on the train and in the stations. The train is always 15-30 mins late. We just plan for it to be late. It's no fault of the staff. Amtrak trains are often stalled en route by cargo trains. The trains are clean and have outlets in each seat to charge your phone. Free wi-fi is available on the train. Sometimes the train is a little chilly so take a blanket or jacket. read more

Amtrak - Train Stations Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

This is the best way to get to and from Chicago from Champaign. If you book long enough ahead of time, you can ride for $13 each way. If you wait until the last minute, you are going to pay $36, which is still less than the private busses. If you are going to Chicago, the Amtrak drops you at Union Station, which is really convenient to take the Metra out to the 'burbs, Blue Line to O'Hare, Orange to Midway, el to wherever (3 block walk) or busses and trolley (a free bus) to wherever else. It is true that the train can run late, just like the private busses, but it is extremely rare for this to occur on the early morning trains. I actually prefer it to driving, as I can do work on the train, read a book, or sleep. Trains are much more spacious than buses or planes and have plugs for laptops, etc (no WiFi yet). You can even walk around, and use a human-sized bathroom. In the car all that I can do is sit, eat, and get older. You can also drink on the train (cafe car has beer, but you can also BYOB). Just sayin'. Also, if you are feeling awesome, check out the Rockstar Ride: departs Friday & Saturday nights from Champaign at 7:59pm, arriving downtown Chicago at 10:45pm. Departs from Chicago on Saturday/Sunday morning at 8:15am. A night to never remember. read more

I've lived here all my life, and know that the terminal itself (as far as city buses/Greyhounds go) leaves some to be desired. But after years of just driving up to Chicago, I finally needed to utilize Amtrak when I planned a trip to New Orleans, and it was a pleasant experience. The man working the counter when we arrived was extremely personable and helpful, and checking bags/boarding was a breeze. (Same goes for the reverse process on our arrival back home.) Clean bathrooms, a Subway and vending machines downstairs, very reliable WiFi. But the reason I went for four stars was one man: "Mr. Charles." Mr. Charles is an Amtrak employee who single-handedly made my trip (there and back) enjoyable. He's incredibly helpful, funny, and sweet. He never stopped smiling once, even when he didn't get any sleep on our overnight trip back. He's just incredibly polite, and manners go a long way. So Amtrak, please read this and give him a raise! As far as the ride itself went...most people don't take it as far as we did (from almost the start of the line to the very finish), but if you do, I'd get a sleeper car if you can. There's decent leg room (I'm 5'11"), but not quite enough for a person to get entirely comfortable and sleep well. Two outlets at every seat, pillows available upon request. No WiFi? No me gusta. I was definitely disappointed there. The dining car was too overpriced to even consider, and the lounge car was only slightly better (but, $2 for a can of soda? Come on, now). There were obnoxious people on the trip that made things less than pleasant from time to time, but what are you gonna do? Those people are everywhere, that's not Amtrak's fault. read more

I guess there is no way to really make Amtrak improve by making a one-star review, but I think it's awful how expensive it now is to go to Chicago given the quality of the service. I live in Stockholm now and was entertaining notions of going back to Champaign to do another degree, but really...it's an isolated place if you don't have a car. It shouldn't be a big deal to go to Chicago. It shouldn't use up all my money or my patience. I've had 11 hour delays on Amtrak! Chicago is a major travel hub and the closest major city. The fact that it is so difficult to get to hurts the University. Sweden benefits enormously from having fast, relatively cheap, and hassle-free railway. I don't have to sit on a cramped bus next to a McDonalds eating elementary school kid or endure six hour delays on a crappy train to get to places like Oslo and Copenhagen. I'm bragging now, but UIUC needs Amtrak to shape up. read more

This station is one of the better ones I've been to. I frequently make the journey from Carbondale to Chicago, and this station is a smoke-break on that long ride. It's a good thing that this station is so nice though, because Amtrak itself is terrible. If you're expecting your train to be on time, you're going to be very disappointed. Typically, they're about an hour late. So make yourself comfortable and bring a book when you get here, because you'll be here awhile. read more

My experience with amtrak was surprisingly pleasant. My morning train in to chicago was sterile-ly clean and almost empty, but took 4 hours (scheduled for 2.75). My evening train smelled like extreme BO, but only took 2 hours (scheduled again for 2.75). This state of affairs can be described as "surprisingly pleasant" as I expected BOTH legs of the trip to take 4 hours AND smell like extreme BO. Despite my friends' urgent warnings, no indigent peoples tried to talk to me or make friends on either train. I think I will use the amtrak again! Way less stressful than driving in the city, and not any more expensive with gas in chicago being up to $4 a gallon. read more

The employees are nice, polite people and the train seats are comfy with lots of legspace and outlets, but oh my god, Amtrak trains are almost NEVER ON TIME. Grab a book or something in case you wait from 30 minutes to two hours for the train to arrive so you can board it. It's because the railroads are prioritized for shipping cargo, so the train will stop and wait for long periods of time for them to pass. This means you, the passenger, will most certainly be delayed. I do not recommend taking the train if you have to connect to another ride or be somewhere at a specific time. Regarding ticket prices, it competes with Greyhound in terms of cheapness. Usually buying tickets a month in advance will give you the lowest price of $15. Then a week later, it pops up to $22, then $29, and finally anywhere from $30-159 on the week or day of your travel day. Once the normal seats sell out, your only option is to buy a ticket for the bedroom style compartment (which is in the $100s). It is ridiculously expensive, so I suggest buying a ticket from Peoria Charter or Greyhound if you miss the $15/$22 prices. It goes to Union Station and from there, $5.25 will take you via Metra to the suburbs. Hence you pay less then a bus ticket if you plan accordingly. The train itself is really nice and clean. Pick a nice smelling passenger to sit with and you'll be fine. My only bad experience was this creepy old guy who kept talking on the phone then fell asleep on me. Ughhh. They have a cafe with tables in the back of the train that sells lots of food like donuts, Starbucks coffee, Redbull, fruit, etc. It also has a bar where a nice man in a suit and tie will mix you a drink or give you a beer. The wifi sucks though and is not reliable in my opinion. Greyhound and PC do it better, but Amtrak is much more roomier and inexpensive. read more

I wish the guy in front of me would stop farting. Also another lady to my right smells like Play Doh. What I'm reviewing I guess is the amount of effort Amtrak takes to Febreeze this place after people eat at the goddamn McDonalds at Union Station and then shit their pants. Recommendation: bring some odor eliminating plug ins or something read more

Just logged on to amtrak.com to buy a one way ticket to Chicago for a Monday train a couple weeks from now. Price for a ONE WAY ticket has gone up yet again to $37.00!!!!! Thanks to a slow day at work, I decided to do the math on this to see exactly how much of a ripoff Amtrak really is. At $1.70 a gallon for gas, even if you were to drive a Hummer H2 to Chicago, it would only cost $21.00 in gas to get there. If you've got a Prius, driving would run you less than $5.00. A 38 foot Winnebago would cost about $32.00. In fact, you would need a vehicle that gets only 6.2 MPG for Amtrak to be the less expensive option. Did I mention I'm having a slow day at work? Moral of the story: Don't waste your time looking at Amtrak as an alternative to driving. Even if you have a vehicle large enough comfortably sleep 6, it's still cheaper to drive. I also don't imagine Amtrak's reliability issues have been resolved by the price increases, so the extra cost really doesn't get you anything other than a strong likelihood of a 90+ minute delay in reaching your destination. read more

This is a nice, clean station. Employees are nice and there is plenty of seating. Cons: trains always late!! Good weather, bad weather, holidays, everyday. Passenger Trains stop to give right of way to freight trains. Just keep that in mind if you are on a tight schedule add at least one/two hours each way. Champaign has plenty of cafes and pubs within walking distance of the train station. read more

One job and they have never been on time....ever. How can that be? I'm certain that positions are filled by advertising "need not apply if competent." Time to reevaluate your business model. read more

I love taking the train whenever I come back home to Champaign from Chicago. With gas prices the way they are, I actually spend less money taking public transportation! Throw in the ISIC card student discount, and there's no question how I'm getting home next weekend. The only catch is that you need to plan your trip several weeks in advance to avoid having the fare go up. Being flexible with times is also an advantage to getting a good deal. As a medical student, I really enjoy being able to study the entire trip instead of getting frustrated in Chicago traffic. The trains may not have Wi-Fi, but they do have power outlets perfect for doing offline work on the laptop. The Amtrak station is found on the second floor of Illinois Terminal, while the local MTD buses are found on the ground level. The entire complex is small and cozy, so there's no concern about getting lost. And if you start to get frustrated because your train is delayed, never fear as there are some great restaurant bars across the street! read more

My use of this Amtrak station is very limited. I actually haven't used it for the train. I have been there to pick up friends from the train. Personally, I have used it for bus service as I have recently used the charter buses to get to and from O'Hare. I like that this station serves many functions. The train, city buses, and charter buses all stop here. And they are located in different areas, which makes it easier to navigate. When the Greyhound arrives, they call out the bus information. Very helpful for passengers. My Peoria Charter was running a tad bit late so I went inside to investigate. There are multiple counters, so make sure you are going to the right one. From the signage, I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go for charter buses. But that staff there were nice and helpful. read more

I'm an occasional train passenger, having taken most of the three routes through Champaign about a half dozen times each. In general I've found it quite pleasant and worry-free. The cars have been in good shape, and only occasionally completely full. Amenities include at least a snack car (fuller food service on the City of New Orleans route), electrical outlets for use with your favorite electronic device, and large comfortable seats with plenty of leg-room (I'm over 6 feet tall, and probably wider than I need to be). Additionally, the terminals at either end of the line are clean and pleasant, although the waiting area in Chicago's Union Station can be a bit hot and crowded. The only downside is the occasional delay, especially with the long-haul City of New Orleans northbound leg. The station personnel in either terminal are not very good about keeping passengers informed, with explanations and announcements being rare; on-board delays fare better, getting announced/explained roughly half the time. I consider travel delays inevitable in any form of transportation (Chicago by auto at rush hour? fuhgeddaboudit!) given right-of-way and general operational conditions, but even so they seem somewhat too common, especially on northbound segments. Still, the price and convenience is a great bargain. I wholeheartedly recommend the service, with the caveat that your schedule needs to be flexible to accommodate the usually-modest delays. September 2011 update: I've been using Amtrak from Champaign more often, most recently in conjunction with CTA to get to and from O'Hare. I continue to have very good experiences in spite of the usual expected short delays. I will add that the pricing seems to have changed-- popular times and days have increased in cost, and as usual the City of New Orleans route continues to be the most expensive option. Still, compared to other ways to get to and from Chicago from Champaign it is still a bargain, and a comfortable one at that, especially compared to the student-oriented bus services that rudely cram you in, cost 2 to 3 times as much, and usually take longer. read more

My sister and I rode the train from Champaign - Chicago to see a couple of Cubs baseball games! I was very impressed by the friendly staff, the comfort factor, plug ins to charge all your electronic devices, free Wi-Fi and the ability to bring your own snacks/drinks or purchase something from the café car! What a wonderful, relaxing experience...and we saw 2 great Cubs games! Very reasonable, relaxing, and hassle free! Ride the train! read more

last time i took Amtrak anywhere it was to Chicago from Champaign. The train broke down about half way there and we were stranded out in the middle of nowhere for about 3 hours. btw we didnt get any kind of refund or compensation for time lost or inconvenience. read more

Great service from the staff and crew members, but never is on time. In three years of taking this train to and from Chicago and Champaign, Il. It has only been on time three times. This isn't a exaggeration. I'm serious. If I run my business like Amtrak runs their business. I'd be out of business! read more

A clean station with helpful staff. I rode the train from Flagstaff, AZ to Kansas City, then to Champaign via Chicago. The crew on the trains were always very pleasant and eager to please. The food in the diner car was outstanding. The trains were usually early into the stations except for a half hour delay leaving Chicago due to a weather delayed connecting train, but most of that had been made up by the time the train arrived in Champaign. read more

My wife and I really enjoy jumping on the train and riding up to Chicago instead of driving. It drops you off right downtown at Union Station and you don't have to worry about parking. We'll definitely use Amtrak any time we head north. read more