NEWS




National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Amtrak Intercity
210 South Canal Street
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Fax: 312 655-2565


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE				           ATK-96-27
February 12, 1996						           Contact: Marc Magliari
									312 655-1338

       AMTRAK BUILDS "THRUWAY" FROM CARBONDALE TO ST. LOUIS, SPRINGFIELD & KANSAS CITY 

	CHICAGO -- No more worrying about driving hassles along Ill. Route 13 during late night trips between Carbondale and St. Louis: buses are now shuttling passengers between Amtrak Stations in Carbondale and St. Louis.

	The Amtrak Thruway Bus to St. Louis connects passengers to the Texas Eagle, serving the Illinois cities of Alton, Carlinville, Springfield, Lincoln, Bloomington-Normal, Pontiac, Dwight, Joliet, Summit and Chicago, plus the Kansas City Mule, serving the Missouri cities of Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lees Summit, Independence and Kansas City.

	Amtrak Thruway Bus Connection schedules follow: 

	           Service from Carbondale to St. Louis (daily, except Wednesdays and Thursdays) 
		Northbound City of New Orleans (train #58) arrives Carbondale		3:10 a.m.
		Bus departs Carbondale Amtrak Station					3:45 a.m.
		Bus arrives St. Louis Amtrak Station					6:00 a.m.
		Northbound Texas Eagle (trains #322/22) departs St. Louis		7:00 a.m.
		Westbound Kansas City Mule (train #301) departs St. Louis		8:10 a.m.

	            Service from St. Louis to Carbondale (daily, except Tuesdays and Wednesdays)				Southbound State House (train #305) arrives in St. Louis		 9:05 p.m.
		Eastbound St. Louis Mule (train #306) arrives in St. Louis	          10:05 p.m.
		Bus departs St. Louis Amtrak Station				          10:30 p.m.
		Bus arrives Carbondale Amtrak Station				          12:45 p.m.
		Southbound City of New Orleans (train #59) departs Carbondale            1:38 a.m.

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	The Kansas City Mule and St. Louis Mule are funded in part by the State of Missouri.

	The Amtrak Thruway Bus from St. Louis connects passengers to the City of New Orleans, serving Fulton, Ky., Newbern-Dyersburg and Memphis, Tenn., Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven and McComb, Miss., and Hammond and New Orleans, La.

	These Amtrak Thruway Bus connections provide coordinated service with guaranteed connections, as well as through fares and ticketing.  Amtrak "All Aboard America" fares as well as other excursion fares are honored, subject to availability.  Passengers traveling on Amtrak Thruway Buses must be ticketed before boarding in order to obtain through fares.  

	Please see an authorized Amtrak travel agent, visit a staffed Amtrak station or call 1-800-USA-RAIL for more information about this service.
	
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