Construction at the Southern Illinois multi modals station is still in progress but is close to its final phases and it will soon be a transportation hub for many in southern Illinois to travel through.
CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL)-- Carbondale city officials gave News 3 an exclusive inside look at the progress made at the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station (SIMMS).Â
Construction at the SIMMS building is still in progress but is close to its final steps in phase one. Soon it will be a transportation hub for many in southern Illinois to travel through.
Some city officials are excited and waiting for the Southern Illinois Multi-modal Station to be completed. Carbondale Public Relations Officer Eva Fisher hopes people take pride in the new station.
“There's something so timeless about a big beautiful train station,� Fisher said.
Fisher says crews still have some things to do in the building, but they have completed many tasks.
“We have all the lighting fixtures in here and really all the interior of the rooms are getting completed. The windows have been installed,� Fisher said.
Construction began on the multi-million dollar project in the spring of last year.
The plan is to have the new station replace the Amtrak Station on the Carbondale Strip built in the 1970s. Fisher says it will be more than just a place for travelers. The Station will also combine the mass transit services with the Greyhound Bus services, local transportation bus systems, taxis, and more.
“This is going to be such a grand welcoming center for people who are traveling through Carbondale eventually,� Fisher said.
Fisher says the station will include an SIU and Carbondale welcome center, but it will also house Man-Tra-Con, a workforce development corporation.
“So people can come in, get help with resume building, get help looking for jobs, even conduct interviews so they can work on their interview skills,� Fisher said.
The City’s Tourism and Special Events Coordinator Dena Haun will have an office in the building's welcome center. She says the personal details that make the station unique to Carbondale will be added in phase two.
“So all the lighting here is positioned in a way so that we can highlight local art in the gallery. We also have in phase two in our tower of nods, buck Meister Fuller, with a great detail in the skylight as well in the floor. So we're really excited to honor just this legacy here in Carbondale through the new transportation hub,� Haun said.
Haun and Fisher hope people will notice the special details when they walk into the building, and also feel welcome to explore Southern Illinois.
Crews hope to finish construction early next year. That's when they'll tear down the original Amtrak station.
