how is the parking situation at Champaign station? (short term)

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ToniCounter

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have a family member moving there soon. he just discovered how easy it is to travel between Champaign and Chicago. just not sure how easy it is to park car at the station? for either a day trip(6am to 10pm) or long term trip lasting 5 to 7 days. I know what Amtrak's website says about it... just wondering what the real situation is like over there, since it is college town with lots of people.

thanks for any info! :)
 
I've only been to the station on Holiday weekends and while busy, has a lot of spaces (I think some are reserved for regular parkers) available. Hopefully someone local can give you better information.
 
The google map link did not answer if there was short term or long term parking available. When I visited Champaign in 2014, I stayed at the nearby Hyatt Place with "paid parking" and walked to the station for day trip to Chicago. The parking lot was pretty full each time I passed it and I am not sure if it was free parking since this is an inter-modal station with local transit buses, intercity buses, and Amtrak. Even Galesburg where I have parked was $3 a day and you have to go somewhere off site to purchase long term passes. Seems we still need someone local to Champaign to answer these questions.
 
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Looking at the google map listed by KMH above, the lot at the main station is actually a pay lot. However, the lot across the tracks (East side of the station), is free long term parking (the cars lined up against the railbed)

It is a little weird, because Amtrak doesn't give you anything to indicate you are an Amtrak passenger and your car is ok to park there. They say they know who is allowed to park there because they have camera's and see if you walk to the station. I was a little concerned but it ended up not being an issue at all for a 3 day trip I took last year.
 
Looking at the google map listed by KMH above, the lot at the main station is actually a pay lot. However, the lot across the tracks (East side of the station), is free long term parking (the cars lined up against the railbed)

It is a little weird, because Amtrak doesn't give you anything to indicate you are an Amtrak passenger and your car is ok to park there. They say they know who is allowed to park there because they have camera's and see if you walk to the station. I was a little concerned but it ended up not being an issue at all for a 3 day trip I took last year.
Yes it is very informal at that station. However I can tell you it all works out just fine! I live 100 miles west of there and have used the long term parking many times with zero problems. I do inform the station master that I am parking in the long term lot, none the less but he/she always seems unconserned.
 
In 2010 I parked there for about a week. This is what I wrote in a trip report

Long term free parking is available in a well lit lot under camera surveillance on the other side of the tracks. After parking you have to walk about a block around the corner and under an overpass to get to back the station. You are required to sign a sheet at the ticket counter for long term parking.
I repeated the trick in 2015, again with no problems.
 
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