Moline to Chicago Passenger Rail Update

Local Leaders Call for Federal Intervention over Delayed Agreements

This Monday, elected officials provided an update on the long-planned Chicago to Moline passenger rail project. They announced that negotiations between the Illinois Department of Transportation and Iowa Interstate Railroad had broken down. The Iowa Interstate Railroad owns a 55-mile segment of track along the route, and an agreement for running passenger trains there is a critical step to moving forward with the planned service. Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati, Illinois Senator Mike Halpin and State Representative Gregg Johnson are asking the Illinois Department of Transportation and Amtrak to bring the issues to the Surface Transportation Board.

We applaud these elected officials for bringing attention to this important issue.

The Surface Transportation Board recently heard a similar case regarding Amtrak’s Gulf Coast route. Amtrak and the freight railroads who own the track were unable to reach an agreement on how to restore the service, which had been stopped since Hurricane Katrina. The STB held a number of investigative hearings on the issue, and with the pressure of a precedent setting rule-making, Amtrak, CSX, and Norfolk Southern finally reached an agreement to restore service.

Negotiations for running passenger trains on freight tracks is a recurring challenge throughout the country. We need to find a new way of approaching these projects. That’s why we are advocating for a number of policy changes that would make these shared-use projects more attractive to freight railroads and incentivize them to invest in their rail infrastructure. You can read more about theses suggestions on our new website here.

Read More

Moline-Chicago Passenger Rail Needs Federal Intervention (Quad City Times)

Chicago to Moline Passenger Rail Advocates Push for Federal Intervention  (WVIK)

Get Big or Get Out: It’s Time to Ditch Modest Passenger Rail Projects (HSRA)

Making Shared-Use Work (HSRA)

Articles We Enjoyed:

Opinion: Why high-speed rail remains a bargain for Californians

Construction of Brightline Bullet Train From SoCal to Vegas Set to Begin

CHSRA Releases 2022 Project Update Report

FRA Look at Amtrak Long-Distance Service Yields Wealth of Data (Trains)

Brightline to Begin 125-mph Testing on Cocoa-Orlando Corridor (Trains)

Train Safety, Amtrak Expansion Moves Ahead in Transportation Budget Passed by Ohio House (Columbus Dispatch)

France Will Spend €100 Billion for New Rail ‘Deal’ (Forbes)

JR East Presents First Series E8 High Speed Train (Railway Gazette)