CARBONDALE – The City of Carbondale is thrilled to announce that on Tuesday, May 20, Amtrak will begin serving passengers in the Phase 1 portion of the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station (SIMMS) located at 401 S. Illinois Ave.
Travelers will be able to utilize an easy-to-access passenger drop-off and pick-up area in front of the station, enjoy a spacious waiting room, and for those travelers with pets – utilize a special outdoor area, accessible from the platform, to accommodate the needs of their four-legged companions.
In addition to the new Amtrak station, the Phase 1 portion of the SIMMS includes space for Man-Tra-Con Corporation, the local provider of “no cost” employment assistance, recruitment services, employee training programs, youth programs, and dislocated worker assistance to job seekers and businesses. In the very near future, Phase 1 will also host a new co-working space – a shared office environment where individuals, freelancers, startups, and remote workers can rent a desk or office area to work alongside others.
Construction of Phase 2 of the SIMMS will begin on May 21st. Phase 2 will include office space for JAX Mass Transit and Carbondale Tourism, as well as a special place for Southern Illinois University. The City of Carbondale looks forward to scheduling the ribbon cutting ceremony for the SIMMS upon completion of Phase 2.
See the Notice of Operational Switchovers announcement from Amtrak below:
Effective May 19, 2025
Please be advised on Monday, May 19, the Amtrak Carbondale Station will move to a new intermodal facility approximately 150 feet north of the current location.
On Monday, May 19, all station services and amenities will be available from the current location until the departure of Train 392. Platform access for customers will change with the arrival of Train 393 and be routed through the newly constructed Southern Illinois Multi-Modal Station (SIMMS) facility. Amtrak personnel will be on-site to assist customers during the transition. All station services and amenities will be available to customers at the SIMMS facility beginning Tuesday, May 20.
The new intermodal facility features a spacious waiting room, increased accessibility features and more comfortable seating for passengers.
Station parking will remain in the same location with extra parking continuing to be available behind City Hall at 200 S. Illinois Ave. and Cristaudos at 209 S. Illinois Ave.
Please allow extra time to get to the station as traffic patterns will change.
