Kewanee Station

Story

Kewanee is an Amtrak intercity train station in Kewanee, Illinois. A new station opened on April 13, 2012, replacing a smaller brick structure built in 1986. In addition to the waiting room, the depot houses a regional office of the Henry County Tourism Bureau. The station is serviced by the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg. The California Zephyr and Southwest Chief also use these tracks but do not stop in Kewanee.New stationDesigned by the Peoria-based Farnsworth Group, the new $485,000 station has a sloping roof and great wall of glass. The primary decoration is a large neon sign, placed high on the waiting room wall, that spells out "KEWANEE." In 2009, town officials set aside $300,000 in capital funds for the project; additional funds came from the city's economic development fund. The city later applied for two state grants to help cover approximately half of the depot’s cost. $163,000 was gained through "Illinois Jobs Now!", a six-year, $31 billion statewide capital program supported by 20 year state bonds and federal and local matching funds. An additional $75,000 came through a state grant obtained by State Senator Darin LaHood and State Representative Don Moffitt.