Passenger Trains > Champaign-Urbana Amtrak Parking

Why oh why does Amtrak not list parking facilities in its station list? Oh wait - because parking is iffy/expensive/scary/non-existent at so many stations, I would guess.

So anyway, what is the situation at the restored Illinois Terminal Transit Center/Amtrak/Intercity Bus hub in Champaign-Urbana, IL? From the Google satellite view, which is old and fuzzy, it appears that there is ample parking. However, this is the general office for Champaign-Urbana MTD, so lots of that might be set aside for employees. There is no street view for Google there either, so it is difficult to make out any signs that might be a sidewalk-level! Gahh-technology!

Can a person leave their old, paid-for minivan there for five nights and have a reasonable expectation that it will be there when you get back? Gotta drive from Louisville to catch a train in a few days...

Thanks in advance

timecruncher

The most direct way to check on current station-area parking would be at the transit district web site, which includes phone numbers and e-mail contacts for MTD and the manager of Illinois Terminal.

http://www.cumtd.com/

In general they have had an agreement with the city to allow Amtrak passengers to park in the city lot just east of the tracks. But I always take a bus to/from the station and don't know off hand what the current parking situation is. City of Champaign parking information is on their web site and includes phone and e-mail contacts.

http://ci.champaign.il.us/departments/public-works/parking-programs/

A couple points of clarification about Illinois Terminal. Illinois Terminal opened in 1999 and was built new, not as a restoration of an earlier station. (Two previous train stations remain just to the north of Illinois Terminal on the same side of the tracks.) And the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District offices are several miles to the east in Urbana (1101 East University Ave); that is where the administrative offices, dispatching, planners, training, etc. are located, and the bus garage and maintenance facilities are just to the west of the administrative offices in Urbana. Most of the space at Illinois Terminal is for passengers (local and intercity buses and Amtrak) or is leased as office space, meeting/banquet space, retail space, etc. The only significant space occupied by the transit district at Illinois Terminal is a customer service desk (pass sales, information, etc.). As I understand it, Illinois Terminal has generally managed to be revenue-neutral for the transit district due to lease income from tenants, providing considerably better facilities for passengers than the previous cluster of bus shelters in a parking lot (and separate Greyhound and Amtrak stations) without being a drain on the transit district annual budget.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/11 23:45 by meh.

I left my car in that lot for about 5 days a few years ago with no problems, although I will say that I remember that there didn't seem to be many empty parking spaces. FWIW

Check with the ticket agent. I believe that if you park in the long term lot you must give your name and car info to the agent. (I boarded a train there Saturday morning but I came on the city bus.)

I seem to recall that Amtrak included information about short- and long-term parking at all of its stations in some issues of its system timetable several years ago. I'm sure another T.O. member will remember the issues and not require me to leaf through my collection.