01.09.17

Durbin To IDOT: Continue Working With Community To Address Concerns For Increased Service On Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today encouraged the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to continue to work with community leaders and area residents as planning moves forward for increased Amtrak service on the Hiawatha line between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. IDOT recently extended the proposal’s public comment period to allow additional time for the consideration of surrounding communities’ concerns. 

“Reducing any negative local impact of the proposed changes must remain a top priority as this project moves forward, and I encourage you to continue your dialogue with the affected communities with the hope that all concerns related to the potential impact of track improvements and expanded passenger rail operations will be appropriately addressed. Achieving this goal will improve the daily commute of thousands of the region’s residents, help bring thousands of people into Chicago, and generate millions in economic activity for the city and the region,” wrote Durbin in a letter to Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Randall S. Blankenhorn.

From 2001 to 2013, Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service annual ridership increased 93 percent. This growth has resulted in more instances of over-capacity and near-capacity particularly on trains that operate during peak travel times. The joint IDOT/Wisconsin Department of Transportation project would increase Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service from seven to 10 round trips per day, seven days a week. The proposal includes track and infrastructure improvements to accommodate the increase in service including signal modernization and the construction of additional crossovers and holding tracks to increase track capacity, provide more operation flexibility, and move stopped trains off the mainline.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and co-chair of the High-Speed Rail Caucus, Durbin has been a leading advocate in Congress supporting passenger rail. He has long worked to secure robust funding for Amtrak in Illinois, which has the second largest rail network in the country with over 7,300 miles in the state alone.

Full text of Durbin’s letter to Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Randall S. Blankenhorn:

Janary 9, 2016

Randall S. Blankenhorn

Secretary

Illinois Department of Transportation

Hanley Building

2300 S. Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, IL 62764

Dear Secretary Blankenhorn:

I am writing to encourage you to work directly with community leaders and area residents as planning continues for increased Amtrak service on the Hiawatha line between Chicago, IL, and Milwaukee, WI.  I appreciate the recent extension of the proposal’s public comment period to allow additional time for the consideration of surrounding communities’ concerns.  Reducing any negative local impact of the proposed changes must remain a top priority as this project moves forward, and I encourage you to continue your dialogue with the affected communities with the hope that all concerns related to the potential impact of track improvements and expanded passenger rail operations will be appropriately addressed.

I remain committed to improving and increasing passenger rail service in Chicago and throughout Illinois.  Achieving this goal will improve the daily commute of thousands of the region’s residents, help bring thousands of people into Chicago, and generate millions in economic activity for the city and the region.

However, the Illinois Department of Transportation must work together with community leaders to ensure that the impacts this project may have on the property values and quality of life of residents are clearly identified and addressed.  The States of Illinois and Wisconsin have a unique opportunity to manage increased demands for service and make critical infrastructure improvements that will provide benefits to local commerce and communities around the region.

I look forward to working with you to improve passenger rail service in Illinois and continuing our dialogue with community leaders, Amtrak, Metra, freight railroads, and federal and state governments to make increased service along the Hiawatha corridor a reality while reducing any harmful local impact. 

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin

U.S. Senator

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