State gets $42.3 million more for high-speed rail
The state is getting $42.3 million in additional high-speed rail money, federal officials announced Thursday. That is in addition to the $1.2 billion in funding the state received in January to build high-speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis. The improvements will allow trains to increase their speed to 110 mph — and cut travel times from five hours to just over three hours.
“Illinois will be able to use this funding to break ground on projects that were included in the state’s application for high-speed rail along the Chicago to St. Louis corridor, but not funded earlier this year,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “Improvements to this route will decrease travel times even further and create jobs that our state badly needs.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood redistributed the money from those two states to other states Thursday. California got the biggest portion of the leftover funds — up to $624 million, followed by Florida at $342.3 million and Washington State at $161.5 million. Illinois was next.
State Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston) said he’s “thrilled” that Illinois is getting extra rail money. “Anytime some other state doesn’t want to be burdened with accepting money from Washington, we’re more than happy to take it off their hands,” he said.