On a late summer evening, Amtrak’s Lincoln Service heads north out of Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln Service travels on a 284 mile long corridor between St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago and is designated as a “higher speed” rail corridor. Over the last decade and a half, train speeds have been increased to as much as 110 MPH over sections of the corridor, resulting in a 5 hour run time at an average train speed of 57 miles an hour, including station stops. Today’s trains operate with equipmen

Beneath the city of Springfield, Missouri, lies a vast network of man-made limestone caves often referred to as the Springfield Underground. Originally created by decades of quarrying operations, the caverns were later developed into a massive subterranean complex covering more than 3 million square feet. Today, the caves are used for secure storage, food distribution, and even data centers, thanks to their naturally stable temperatures and protection from the elements. Though much of the area i