Macomb, IL (MAC)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$1,977,036

Station Ridership

FY 2011

78,129

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Macomb station, opened in 1913 by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (now BNSF Railway), is a red brick building trimmed in sandstone, with the typical hipped roof and wide eaves. Working with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the city made some renovations and upgrades to the station in the 1980s. Local government has also sponsored replacement of the brick surround and driveway with new brick, adding to the charm of an already handsome original station. A taxi service and a travel agency occupy space in the station.

Macomb, sitting just south of the East Fork La Moine River, was founded in 1830 as the county seat of McDonough County, and was named after General Alexander Macomb, an American general in the War of 1812. War veterans were given land grants in Macomb, part of the Military Tract set aside by Congress.

The Northern Cross Railroad, a predecessor of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, built a line through Macomb in 1855, and the town grew as a result.

In 1899 the Western Illinois State Normal School, later Western Illinois University, was founded in Macomb. This city is considered by many to be a good example of a college town.

Several U.S. Presidents have visited and made addresses in Macomb including Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama both addressed large audiences in Macomb prior to their election as President. The current chairman of Amtrak’s Board of Directors, Thomas Carper, is a native of Macomb.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this facility.

Macomb is served by four daily trains. The intrastate trains are primarily financed by funds made available by IDOT.