[2] Under the Federal Railroad Administration's High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program, the state of Illinois received $1.2 billion to improve the Chicago-St. Louis rail corridor so passenger trains will be able to attain regular speeds of 110 miles per hour (180 km/h).

Part of the funding awarded to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) included $7.4 million for the construction of a new station in Alton, which is one of the busiest Amtrak stops in the state.

IDOT architects designed the station, and the city then assumed ownership and maintains the property.

[2] Alton Station serves as a multimodal transfer point for Amtrak and Madison County Transit.

The station is currently served by Amtrak's Lincoln Service and the Texas Eagle,[3] with an average of 10 trains daily.