Bloomington - Normal, IL (BNL)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$4,691,998

Station Ridership

FY 2011

244,566

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Bloomington-Normal Amtrak station is the fourth busiest station in the Midwest (after Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis), and the second busiest in the state. This modern station was built in 1990 on the Town Hall parking lot and offers a waiting area with vending machines as well as bus connections for passengers traveling throughout Illinois. It replaced a station in Bloomington that is in disrepair and was thought to be in an out-of the-way location, far from either town’s commercial centers and college campuses.

On August 7, 2010, Federal and state official joined representatives of the town of Normal and Amtrak to break ground for a multimodal transportation center. In February 2010, the town of Normal received a $22 million Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). With this grant in place, the estimated $43.3 million multimodal center project is completely funded. Monies were also obtained from Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grants, and bonds issued by Normal.

The 68,000 square foot transportation center will bring together the services of Amtrak trains, interstate and regional buses, airport shuttles, Bloomington-Normal Public Transit system buses, taxis, and bicycles. The center will feature retail and municipal office space, a community room for local organizations, and a 400-car parking garage. Through the selection and use of environmentally friendly materials and design solutions, the town believes that the building will achieve a LEED silver certification.

The town of Normal is the smaller of two adjacent municipalities (Bloomington and Normal) known as the “Twin Cities.” Normal was originally laid out in North Bloomington in an area known as “the Junction,” located at the intersection of the Illinois Central and the Chicago & Alton Railroads. Both the current station and the proposed multimodal building occupy corners of the intersection where these railroads met.

The Illinois Central built the line to fulfill a charter issued by the Illinois Legislature, aided by Abraham Lincoln during his career as a surveyor and a lawyer. Since its abandonment in 1985, the former Illinois Central right-of-way in Bloomington-Normal has become a walking and biking path called Constitution Trail

The Chicago and Alton route has changed hands several times, including a period when the State of Illinois intervened when an owner was in bankruptcy. The route is now owned by Union Pacific.

George M. Pullman’s Pioneer, one of the first railroad sleeping cars, was constructed in Bloomington at the Chicago and Alton Railroad Shops. The Pioneer was so wide that it could not fit under some bridges or on certain tracks. When President Lincoln was assassinated, the Pioneer was added to “The Lincoln Special” (President Lincoln’s funeral train) on its trip from Chicago to Springfield.

Abraham Lincoln’s “Lost Speech” was delivered in Bloomington on May 29, 1856. It is unknown why there are no transcripts or written accounts of the speech. The traditional reason given is that Lincoln’s discourse was so powerful, reporters forgot to take notes. Others suggest that the speech was destroyed because of his vehement condemnation of slavery. The state Republican Party was founded in Bloomington after the speech was delivered.

Normal was officially incorporated in 1867, 24 years after Bloomington, and was named after Illinois State Normal School, a teacher-training institution. The school has since become Illinois State University and is a fully accredited, four-year institution that employs many Normal residents.

Founded in 1850, Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington is a liberal arts university with an enrollment of 2,100. Wesleyan has long been known for its faculty, distinctive liberal arts curriculum and its beautiful and welcoming campus.

Bloomington-Normal boasts a wide variety of other cultural attractions. Constitution Trail is one of Illinois’ most noteworthy parks and follows routes lined with historic buildings. The three-story Children’s Discovery Museum is directly across the tracks from the current station and offers programs, classes, and hands-on exhibits for children. The historic, avant-garde Normal Theater (the first theater in Bloomington-Normal built for sound films) has been restored to its original condition. Other attractions include the Illinois State University Planetarium, Redbird Arena, and the Sugar Creek Arts Festival held in July.

In 2008, Forbes named Bloomington-Normal #20 on its list of the 25 smartest communities in the United States.

Mitsubishi’s only passenger car assembly plant in the United States is located in Normal. The popular snack food, “Beer Nuts,” was invented by the Shirk family of Bloomington in 1937, and the company’s manufacturing facility is still located in Bloomington. The area’s largest employer is State Farm Insurance, which was also founded by a local family

Amtrak provides ticketing and baggage service at this station, which is served by ten daily trains. The Lincoln Service is supported through funds made available by the Illinois Department of Transportation.