Mattoon’s Amtrak station has been in operation since 1855 and has been serviced by Amtrak since 1971. Photo by Great American Stations.

After numerous reports of vandalism and other criminal activity at the Mattoon Amtrak station, which mainly occurs at night, Chief of Police, Sam Gaines, of the Mattoon Police Department, mentioned “The doors are unlocked during the day locked at night. The reason why the doors are locked at night is because of the history of vandalism at the station.”

He explained “The city (Mattoon) has put a lot of money into a lot of repairs, especially in the bathroom area with the sinks being torn off the wall. We (Mattoon Police Department) at night open the doors within thirty minutes before the Amtrak train’s scheduled arrival. We make sure the people can get on the train.”

When asked the amount of money the city of Mattoon had to pay due to vandalism and other criminal activity, he stated “I could not tell you that specifically. It was a lot of money. It was not just one issue. It was issue after issue and it all adds up. I do not know the total amount. The city spent a lot of money making repairs to the station.”

He said that “vandalism was the biggest problem along with people loitering and sleeping in the station. Someone would call us and we would investigate. Sometimes, they would have drugs on them as well as drug paraphernalia. That does not happen nearly as often as vandalism. Vandalism is the biggest problem.” Gaines is in his third year in his current role. He replaced Jason Taylor, who has retired. 

The Mattoon Amtrak station is located on 1718 Broadway Avenue. The station has been in business since 1855, well before the formation of Amtrak, short for American track, on Saturday, May 1, 1971. The routes that service the station are the Illini, Saluki and the City of New Orleans. 

The station is a regular stop for the Illini and Saluki, which trains make all stops from the Chicago Union Station to Carbondale, the southern tip of Illinois. However, in regards to the City of New Orleans, the Mattoon stop is a flag stop, meaning that the train servicing the line will not automatically stop there. Either someone who has made a reservation by phone or online would have to schedule to be picked up or dropped off at the station.

If you witness a crime, call 911 or contact the Mattoon Police Department at 217-235-5451. It is open from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM each day and is closed during the weekends and holidays. Below is the list of the aforementioned routes, route numbers and the daily times of arrival of the Amtrak trains both northbound and southbound to the station. You can also make a reservation online at amtrak.com.