Alliance Members Show Up for Illinois Railway Investment

If you’ve followed the Alliance for a while, you know that we often focus on Illinois. That’s because of Chicago. Investment in the Windy City’s railway hub benefits a huge region, with hundreds of communities on rail lines that radiate out of Chicago.

State lawmakers in Springfield now have two exciting proposals for railway investment under consideration. One would give the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) the ability to get several new projects ‘shovel ready.’ The other would create and fund a statewide railway program.

Hundreds of Alliance supporters in Illinois have already spoken up.

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What’s the Goal?

The goal of this legislation is to create a coordinated network of regional trains and buses connecting all corners of the state. It would give people all-day service, anchored by a high-speed line between Chicago and St. Louis. The legislation would expand the planning and management capacity of IDOT’s Bureau of Railroads. It would also fund work to repair or build new bridges and track, to electrify track, and to buy new trainsets.

Similar legislation has been introduced before this year but did not advance to committee consideration. With this important new chance now, the need is high to show support—and Alliance members in Illinois have answered this call.

Ahead of hearings in the state Senate and House appropriations committees, more than 200 Alliance supporters “slipped in.” This means registering their support by filling out an online witness slip. The Alliance’s executive director, Rick Harnish, also testified in person on behalf of both bills.

In tandem, 24 people from around the state to traveled to Springfield on April 30 for the Alliance’s Railway Advocacy Day. Alliance volunteers fanned out through the Capitol to speak individually with their state senators and representatives, or with staff members. If it wasn’t possible to meet directly, the volunteers left behind material with a personal note. They reached out to at least 28 different lawmakers in this way. The whole group also had meetings with lawmakers in key roles, such as with the Republican Minority Leader.

What Comes Next?

We don’t expect a direct yes-or-no vote on the bills that are under consideration now. Instead, the name of the game is to make sure that lawmakers know that people from their districts—and throughout the state—want great train service. The most important thing is not to pass the bills, but to make sure that the state budget invests more in trains.

We thank our volunteers who came to Springfield this week to do this work in person. Special thanks go to volunteer Harold Di Vito, who took photos. We also thank everyone who has registered their support online or reached out to lawmakers in other ways.

This is a long-term effort, but it works. Many of us traveled to and from Springfield on the 110 mph Lincoln service, which Illinois launched in 2023. While work advances in Illinois toward high-speed service that would bring travel time between Chicago and St. Louis under 2½ hours, the new 110 mph service on upgraded tracks offers a smooth, fast ride. Earlier Alliance work helped bring this into being. It’s a great demonstration of what we can do together, and it’s an example of the minimum level of quality we should have throughout the country.

Please help keep moving things in the right direction—in strategic states like Illinois, and nationwide. If you live in Illinois, check our Illinois Fast Track Action Center to learn more and for other ways to get involved. And, no matter where you live, please become a member of the Alliance if you haven’t already, or donate again today!