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(The following story by Terry Hillig appeared on the Post-Dispatch website on November 4.)

ST. LOUIS — Amtrak has set later departure times for one of its daily St. Louis-Chicago trains.

A spokesman for the rail passenger service said the revised timetable will allow riders to spend fuller days in St. Louis, Alton, Springfield and other stops along the route. It became effective Monday.

Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesman in Chicago, said the later departures would benefit riders who make day trips to St. Louis or downstate Illinois for business or pleasure.

“You can stay there longer and get more done,” Magliari said.

Departures on the daily “Ann Rutledge” service have all been set back by about an hour.

The train now departs St. Louis daily at 3:10 p.m., Alton at 3:55 p.m., Carlinville at 4:25 p.m. and Springfield at 5:05 p.m. Its scheduled arrival time in Chicago is 8:45 p.m. The “Ann Rutledge” originates each morning in Kansas City, leaving there at 7:55 a.m. and arriving in Kirkwood at 12:53 p.m. and St. Louis at 1:35 p.m.

Schedules for the other northbound Amtrak trains on the St. Louis-Chicago corridor are little changed.

The “State House” departs St. Louis at 4:35 a.m., Alton at 5:20 a.m., Carlinville at 5:50 a.m., Springfield at 6:32 a.m. and arrives in Chicago at 9:55 a.m.

The “Texas Eagle,” which originates in San Antonio, leaves St. Louis at 8:45 a.m., Alton at 9:32 a.m., Springfield at 10:43 a.m., and arrives in Chicago at 2:29 p.m.

Magliari said departure times for southbound Chicago-St. Louis trains are unchanged.

The new Amtrak timetables are available free of charge at major Amtrak stations, travel agencies, online at www.amtrak.com or by calling Amtrak’s toll-free information and reservations number, 800-872-7245.

Nationwide, Amtrak carried just over 25 million passengers during the 12 months ended in September, setting a second consecutive yearly ridership record.

Those numbers included an 8.9 percent increase in ridership on the “State House” and “Ann Rutledge” services, to 212,999, and an a 9.5 percent increase to 234,619 on the “Texas Eagle,” which also uses the St. Louis-Chicago corridor.