12.08.15

Durbin Meets with Amtrak Board Member Tom Carper to Discuss Passenger Rail in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Following Congressional passage of a four-year reauthorization of Amtrak, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with former Mayor of Macomb, Illinois and current member of the Amtrak Board of Directors, Tom Carper, to discuss the importance of Illinois’ passenger rail network. A photo of today’s meeting is available here.

   

“As a longtime Amtrak Board Member and the former Mayor of Macomb, which sits along Amtrak’s Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg lines, Tom Carper in one of Illinois passenger rail’s strongest allies,” Durbin said. “Congress must also do its part by providing Amtrak with the resources it needs to continue modernizing our transportation system and creating jobs.”

   

Amtrak operates 56 trains a day in Illinois, and ridership in Illinois is up 18 percent over the past five years.