Illinois Sees Next Phase In High-Speed Rail

NEED SPEED UPGRADE: Amtrak cars sit in a rail yard on the southern edge of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Gov. Pat Quinn announced further construction of a high-speed rail line linking Chicago and St. Louis. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CHICAGO—Illinois is one step closer to a high-speed rail system. Gov. Pat Quinn recently announced a $685 million agreement for further construction of new rail line linking Chicago and St. Louis. The first trains traveling at 110 mph on the Chicago-to-St. Louis line will make their debut between Dwight and Pontiac as early as next year.

“High-speed rail is more than just an alternative mode of travel—it is a shot in the arm to today’s recovering economy, and an investment in infrastructure that will serve us for generations to come,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in a statement.

The first phase of the line—a $98-million upgrade of tracks between Lincoln and Alton—was launched last September, making Illinois the first state to break ground under the federal initiative to develop a Midwest high-speed rail network.

Beginning April 5, the second phase of the project will involve the construction of new rail track using concrete ties between Dwight and Lincoln, as well as between Alton and the Mississippi River. The second phase of this federally funded endeavor promises to create an estimated 6,200 jobs.

Upgrades to the entire Dwight-Alton portion of the corridor are expected to be complete by 2014. Illinois is conducting a study on the feasibility of bringing 220-mph service to the state.

In December, the Illinois Department of Transportation started a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement to study the potential for a second set of tracks between Chicago and St. Louis and to identify the preferred route for trains between Chicago and Joliet. Another component is an analysis of the best path of the line through the state’s capital, Springfield. The study is expected to be completed in 2012.

“Bringing high-speed rail to Illinois has been a top priority of my administration because of the thousands of jobs and long-term investment it will bring to our state,” said Quinn in a statement. “This important partnership with the Union Pacific Railroad and the Obama administration will boost our efforts to make Illinois the high-speed rail hub of the Midwest.”

More than $650 million of the total $1.2 billion federal grant will go to competitively selected contractors. Although the federal government is footing most of the bill for the new rail project, Illinois is shouldering some of the expense. The state is giving more than $42 million in capital funding.

A statement from the governor’s office said that construction of the entire Chicago-to-St. Louis line is anticipated to create and retain an estimated 24,000 jobs throughout the state.