Durbin Talks Chicago-Quad Cities Rail Project with Federal Railroad Administrator
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose to receive an update on the Chicago-Quad Cities Rail Project, which would establish a passenger rail route running between Chicago and the Quad Cities. Durbin urged Administrator Bose to prioritize the project and ensure that FRA continues to extend federal funding Durbin previously secured for the project.
Durbin secured $177 million in federal funding for the rail project in 2010. The project was delayed for years because former Governor Rauner refused to provide state funding for it. Governor Pritzker renewed the state’s commitment to the project by providing $225 million in state funding in 2019. But since then, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Iowa Interstate (IAIS) have failed to reach an agreement on the infrastructure upgrades needed for the project, and the cost of the project has grown. Durbin has repeatedly secured extensions of the federal funding, but the current funding extension is set to expire in December unless IDOT and IAIS reach an agreement so construction can begin. The proposed Quad Cities passenger rail route, running between Chicago and the Quad Cities, was initially slated to begin service in 2014.
Durbin concluded the meeting by also advocating for the Springfield Rail Improvement Project (SRIP), which did not receive federal funding last year and as a result, has missed its goal of completion by 2025; and the Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP) for infrastructure upgrades in and around Chicago Union Station, for which Durbin has been instrumental in bringing Union Pacific and Canadian National together in agreement to move the project forward. Durbin and Bose also discussed the ongoing “loss of shunt” issue (temporary loss of electrical signal between train wheels and rails) along Amtrak’s Chicago-Carbondale route. Durbin has been discussing the issue with both Amtrak and Canadian National, as both parties have been working together to find a solution.
“Our state relies on rail. It fuels our economy and ensures connectivity across our vast state,” said Durbin. “I’ve been working with IDOT fornearly 15 years to make the Chicago-Quad Cities Rail Project a reality. Today, in meeting with Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose, I urged him to prioritize the project and follow through on the federal funding that was allocated to establish the rail line.”
A photo of the meeting is available here.
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