CBS Local — Amtrak says a special train ride taking passengers along the route of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse sold out in less than a day. The 409-seat passenger train in Illinois will be traveling from Chicago’s Union Station to Carbondale, Ill.
The special eclipse train will also pick up passengers in Champaign, Illinois before arriving in Carbondale, where the historic event can reportedly been seen for over 2 and a half minutes. Amtrak is handing out eclipse-viewing glasses to each of the passengers who paid up to $153 for a seat on the round-trip journey on Aug. 21.
Riders will be waking up early to catch their train that Monday. The Amtrak train will be leaving Chicago around 3 a.m. CT and Champaign at 5:05 a.m. before departing for Carbondale. The early start will give riders plenty of time to get ready to view the eclipse in Carbondale, which starts coming into view around 11:52 a.m. local time that morning. The solar eclipse won’t reach totality, the point where the moon almost completely covers the sun, until 1:20 p.m., local time.
The path of totality covers a 70-mile-wide lane that will cut across 12 states from Oregon to South Carolina. There are an estimated 12 million people, coast-to-coast, in the eclipse’s path. It will be the country’s first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in 99 years.
Amtrak says a special train ride taking passengers along the route of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse sold out in less than a day.
CBS Local Amtrak says a special train ride taking passengers along the route of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse sold out in less than a day The 409-seat passenger train in Illinois will be traveling from Chicago’s Union Station to Carbondale, Ill. The special eclipse train will also pick up passengers in Champaign, Illinois before arriving in Carbondale where the historic event can reportedly been seen for over 2 and a half minutes Amtrak is handing out eclipse-viewing glasses to each of the passengers who paid up to $153 for a seat on the round-trip journey on Aug. 21 Riders will be waking up early to catch their train that Monday The Amtrak train will be leaving Chicago around 3 a.m. CT and Champaign at 5:05 a.m.  before departing for Carbondale The early start will give riders plenty of time to get ready to view the eclipse in Carbondale which starts coming into view around 11:52 a.m.  local time that morning The solar eclipse won’t reach totality the point where the moon almost completely covers the sun until 1:20 p.m. local time The path of totality covers a 70-mile-wide lane that will cut across 12 states from Oregon to South Carolina There are an estimated 12 million people coast-to-coast in the eclipse’s path It will be the country’s first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in 99 years