Peoria Station

As expected, Peoria International Airport set a new annual passenger record in 2025. At a news conference inside the passenger terminal this morning , Metropolitan Airport Authority director Gene Olson announced that 812,376 passenger were handled during the past year. The previous record was 689,416 passengers, which was set in 2019. The airport nearly broke its 2019 record with 687,601 passengers in 2024.  The actual record was broken the first eleven months of 2025 when 741,724 passengers had used the airport. This was the first time PIA had exceeded 700,000 passengers in a year. With December traffic at 70,672 - the highest ever for that month - the 800,000 mark was exceeded as well.  PIA benefitted from stable or declining fuel prices, airlines engaging in fierce competition for market share and sufficient pilots to handle the resulting growth. Allegiant Air's low-fare nonstops as well as increased capacity by American Eagle and United Express has attracted travelers not ...

Looks like the BUSW (Bureau Switcher) pulled PESI this afternoon. The plan for the CN grain empties is to have SIPE come down tonight with a relief crew to take PENT early tomorrow morning.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls out of Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Tuesday, January 20, 2026. IAIS 712 has 39 cars.   - David P. Jordan

Short train, but the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard has been plugged the last few days, so inbound freights are being parked elsewhere, traffic is accumulating and not getting classified. An earlier SIPE is on the double track at Grove. A KJRY outbound or TP&W inbound is on the Nickel Plate, and Friday's BNSF M-GALPEI left its train on the New Long. The Limit Yard also has cars. A TZPR switcher delivered a train to Kickapoo Yard about midday Sunday and an extra was supposed to be called this afternoon.    Today's train had mostly loads - most covered hoppers (ADM loads from CN?), two iron oxide gondolas from TP&W and five likely dry fertilizer loads out of Mapleton (TP&W) or Mosaic (TZPR). I'd guess the former, and that they are going to the Growmark warehouse at Stuart, Iowa.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls through Rome, Illinois late-morning Sunday, January 18, 2026. IAIS 151 and I...

Friday afternoon was busy, but the days are still too short to take advantage of anything other than chance encounters. The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's East Peoria Yard was pretty full, so BNSF left M-GALPEI on the New Long Main in Peoria and ran engine lite to East Peoria for M-PEIGAL (which, as usual, had to be built from two tracks). A TP&W local ran around the same time as well. The Keokuk Junction Railway local had to wait for an BNSF Kincaid coal empty before moving from Iowa Junction to East Peoria. A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad job was working Liberty Steel & Wire and the Kickapoo Yard area. I did capture one train movement however...   BioUrja Renewables LLC purchased ADM's Peoria plant and property on November 1, 2021 but today was the first time I heard the crew call it "BioUrja 932."  CAPTION: One of BioUrja Renewables LLC's, ADMX 932, pulls 15 corn loads from the South Yard in Peoria, Illinois toward the distillery on old Rock Isl...

When I found it, CN's L557 was stopped after finishing working at Hanna Steel, so it is possible the hi-cube CN boxcar up front was pulled from Amerhart. But it might be a zinc ingot empty car from Liberty Steel & Wire Co.  CAPTION: Canadian National Railway train L557 (Local, E. Peoria IL to Decatur IL) rolls across Fifth Street near South Pekin, Illinois mid-afternoon Tuesday, January 13, 2026. CN 3192 has four cars.   On my way from South Pekin to the downtown Peoria library, I encountered this Tazewell & Peoria Railroad industry Job.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad "Industry Job" rolls by Darst Street and Krause Avenue in Peoria, Illinois enroute from Kickapoo Yard to the East Peoria Yard late-afternoon Tuesday, January 13, 2026. HESR 2107 has six cars.   - David P. Jordan

My first Class I encounter in 2026!   I was entering Peoria on the Cedar Street Bridge and saw the headlight in the distance, and learned within seconds that it was the BNSF "local."    The five OZIX-marked (Ozinga) twin-bay covered hoppers on today's train were empty, and may be assigned to Illinois & Midland RR-served Harsco slag processing facilities at Powerton and Sicily. After all, I saw several loaded OZIX-marked cars departing East Peoria on Norfolk Southern's D49 last summer. But the new Ozinga Cement Co. barge-rail-truck? facility recently opened at the lower end of the old Peoria Barge Terminal property has been getting a lot of these cars, most of which have OZIX markings as well.  CAPTION: BNSF Railway train M-GALPEI (Manifest, Galesburg IL to Peoria IL) enters Tazewell & Peoria Railroad property enroute to East Peoria late afternoon Monday, January 12, 2026. BNSF 3910 and BNSF 6795 have 35 cars.   - David P. Jordan

A Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-700 at Peoria Int'l Airport just after sunrise on June 4, 2013 prepares for departure to Washington, D.C. for an Honor Flight.  Allegiant Air announced January 11 that it will acquire Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines. The deal has already been approved by both airlines' boards of directors and is subject to review by regulators. The airlines expect approval in the last half of 2026.  Sun Country Airlines flies to numerous destinations from Minneapolis/St. Paul, including points in Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. It has a fleet of Boeing 737-800s.  How might this acquisition affect Peoria and Central Illinois? Allegiant Air's joint venture proposal with Mexico's Viva Aerobus is going nowhere for now, but the Las Vegas-based carrier must see potential to offer expanded service to many international leisure destinations. The Allegiant Air-Viva Aerobus joint venture proposal was first announced in late-2...

The five empty Incobrasa covered hoppers, six salt-laden boxcars and nine loaded nitrogen tank cars were on Wednesday's late-afternoon transfer from the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad.   Kind of sad that these cars sat for nearly four days, but the Incobrasa cars were empties and Sweetener Supply Corp. at Wolcott, Indiana already had six arrive this week, and probably didn't have room yet. The nitrogen loads might not be "hot" either.  CAPTION: An eastbound Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway "M-Train," sometimes called M-EPEF (Manifest, E. Peoria IL to Effner IL) rolls by Cruger, Secor and El Paso midday Sunday, January 11, 2026. TPW 5008, IORY 3492 and RCPE 3481 have 40 cars.   - David P. Jordan

I had to work today so I could not catch today's DAVPE potash/manifest combo. Fortunately, I was able to get PESI through downtown Peoria with a short consist. The snow showers and street lamps at the Foot of Main Street in downtown Peoria added to the encounter.    The ADMX covered hopper on the head end was empty, then eight empty tank cars, eight covered hoppers (ADMX, some leasers) were loaded, and then there was another eight empty tank cars. I believe the tank cars, quite a few with CRGX (Cargill) reporting marks, indicate soybean oil traffic must be moving again.  CAPTION: Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. manifest PESI (Peoria IL to Silvis IL) rolls across Main Street in downtown Peoria, Illinois late-afternoon Saturday, January 10, 2026. IAIS 503 and IAIS 516 had  two Norfolk Southern units - NS 5167 and NS 5336 - bound for Des Moines, Iowa and 25 cars (8 loads, 17 empties). - David P. Jordan

I went to East Peoria after work wondering if I could capture any train movements. Sure enough, I noticed the TP&W switch job in the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's yard, and decided to wait. I'm glad I did.  CAPTION: A Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway train, probably EP-2 (East Peoria Switcher), rolls by P&PU Junction toward N. Main Street in East Peoria, Illinois after leaving the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's yard with a transfer for the home terminal less than two miles away. TPW 5010 and TPW 5015 have 23 cars (15 loads, 8 empties). Note six more boxcars of bagged salt for Sweetener Supply Corp. near Wolcott, Indiana (another six were already in transit on the TP&W when this video was taken).   - David P. Jordan

This train had a reported 142 cars before it set out 57 at Grainland Farmers's Cruger elevator. The three units and consist starting with the covered hopper just ahead of the second set of gondolas is what I tried to get departing TZPR's East Peoria Yard late-Sunday, but darkness fell and I had plans for the evening.  CAPTION: The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway ran an eastbound "M-Train" Monday afternoon, January 5, 2026. After setting out grain empties at Cruger, the now shorter train rolled through Eureka, Illinois. IORY 3472, RCPE 3481 and IORY 5007 have 85 cars.   - David P. Jordan

This afternoon, I went to check Tremont Grain Barge & Rail in Pekin as 16 loads are in place for unloading, or to be pulled by TZPR. I decided to check the TZPR along Rt. 29 and make my way toward East Peoria where I noticed an IMRR interchange delivery on the Nickel Plate. The train's power was already on the outbound when I arrived.    Lots of activity on TZPR today, including IMRR 43 working Kickapoo Yard and TP&W working a Collier Turn with three motors (IORY 3472 was leader). The TP&W crew obviously had delivered corn loads to BioUrja's South Yard because that distillery's critter came out to grabbed them, asking TZPR permission to cross its line at Bridge Junction going down there and returning to the plant.    While waiting for the IMRR train to depart, a TZPR local from Pekin came up the line.  CAPTION: A Tazewell & Peoria Railroad local from Pekin rolls by Hilliards and Wesley mid-afternoon Sunday, January 4, 2026. TZPR 1352 has f...

Based on activities just a week ago, December 26, I was hoping that Union Pacific's MPECL would leave at least a few hours late, but when I arrived the south side of Peoria around 3:30 Friday afternoon to find ,MPECL gone and a Union Pacific crew shoving an empty coal train (received from Decatur via Canadian National) off the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad and onto the Low Line toward Peoria Junction.   Apparently, as of December 2025, most Decatur coal routed to CN at Peoria (actually TZPR's Pekin double track) now originates at the Gateway Mine near Coulterville, Illinois instead Wyoming's Powder River Basin. So trains must "see-saw" on the Nickel Plate in East Peoria to be positioned in the right direction. If UP and CN hadn't removed the direct connection at South Pekin in March 2002...   Anyway, once the UP coal empties cleared onto home rails at Darst Street, the Keokuk Junction Railway local's conductor lined the switch and the train moved acro...