service to Effingham, Centralia, Carbondale, Fulton, Newbern-Dyersburg, Memphis, Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven, McComb, Hammond, and New Orleans. Amtrak Train 58, the northbound City of New Orleans, is scheduled to depart Mattoon at 5:23am daily with service to Champaign-Urbana, Kankakee, Homewood, and Chicago. Mattoon is also served by Amtrak Train 390/391, the Saluki, daily in the morning, and Amtrak Train 392/393, the Illini, daily in the afternoon/evening. Both the Saluki and the Illini operate between Chicago and Carbondale. The Illinois Central Station in the heart of downtown Mattoon has recently been totally renovated. It is handicap accessible with an elevator to the lower level train platform. Funding of $2.5 million was obtained for it via the 2005 Transportation Bill. Today the station is unmanned; passengers boarding at the Mattoon station must order their tickets by telephone or online. Notable people * Leverett Baldwin, Illinois state representative Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, geologist William Cook, founded medical products manufacturer The Cook Group Merab Eberle, journalist and playwright Roscoe Vernon "Gadabout" Gaddis, host of nationally syndicated TV show about fly fishing Patricia Roberts Harris, U.S. ambassador, politician, 1st Health and Human Services Secretary of the United States Steven Hatfill, physician, virologist, and bio-weapons expert Clyde Hood, fraudster founder of Omega Trust Kyle Hudson, former Major League Baseball player and former football and baseball player for the Fighting Illini; born in Mattoon Joe Knollenberg, U.S. Congressman (1993–2009) Will Leitch, writer Robert A. McClure, Major General, Father of U.S. Army Special Warfare. Born Matoon March 4, 1897. Andy Miller, harness racing driver Jackie Moran, actor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Buck Rogers; born in Mattoon Vickie M. Moseley, Illinois state politician Julius Penn, U.S. Army brigadier general in World War I Daniel Lee Siebert, serial killer Bryan Stork, former center for the New England Patriots and Super Bowl XLIX champion; Edward Mills Purcell, physicist, Nobel Laureate, educated in Mattoon's public schools. Monte Reel, writer and journalist Hope Summers, actress, known for recurring role as Clara Edwards on The Andy Griffith Show Bill Tate, 1952 Rose Bowl most valuable player for Illinois, former head coach at Wake Forest, Mattoon High School graduate Craig Titley, writer Charlie Whitehouse, pitcher for the Indianapolis Hoosiers, Newark Peppers and Washington Senators; born in Mattoon Arland D. Williams, Jr., hero of Air Florida Flight 90. Born in Mattoon, he is the posthumous namesake of a local elementary school. References External links