NORMAL, Ill. – Federal and state officials today joined representatives of the Town of
Normal and Amtrak in opening a multimodal transportation center to serve as a station for
Amtrak rail and motorcoach passengers, local transit buses and as the focal point of a new urban
center of a community that is among the top 50 Amtrak locations nationwide by ridership.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood — along with Mayor
Chris Koos and Amtrak Board Chairman Tom Carper — participated in the ceremony that
included a dedication of the building now called Uptown Station, followed by tours of the
facility and the Amtrak Exhibit Train. The $45.9 million project
received a $22 million grant under the Obama Administration’s
TIGER (Transportation Investments Generating Economic
Recovery) program, as well as $10.6 million in additional federal
funding, and more than $13 million in state and local
contributions.
“Key to our Uptown master plan from the beginning was a
transportation center designed to provide a multistory anchor for
redevelopment,” Mayor Koos said. “Uptown Station is
something all Normal’s citizens can admire and be proud of, an
example of elegant design, sustainability and quality that will last
for generations.
“The hundreds of jobs created during two years of
construction invigorated the economy of the area, and now that Uptown Station is operational it
will serve the public transportation needs of hundreds of thousands of people who live in Central
Illinois,” added Koos, a member of the national Mayors Advisory Committee for Amtrak.
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