Guest blog by Taylor Larsen Since its creation by Christian Lenhart and Cameron Blakely in 2020, the citizen-driven Rio Grande Plan has shared a vision: to remove railroad crossings, revitalize a neighborhood, and reuse the historic Rio Grande Depot as Salt Lake...
Newsletter 3/7/25: East St. Louis HSR Station and Investing in Wisconsin Trains
The Case for a High Speed Rail Station in East St. Louis
The Illinois High Speed Rail Commission is designing and planning a high-speed line linking Chicago and St. Louis.
This is a huge project for both cities and the entire Midwest, as it inches the region closer to making fast and frequent trains a reality.
With the probability of more rail traffic on the horizon, St. Louis needs a modern facility that can handle more capacity. A standard the current Gateway Station would not meet.
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Advocates Brief Wisconsin Lawmakers on Investing in Trains
With work toward the 2025-2027 budget underway in Wisconsin, the High Speed Rail Alliance and allied groups organized events at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 4, to advocate for greater investment in passenger trains.
The state budget proposed in February by Governor Tony Evers includes $15 million for passenger rail over two years. These funds would support the operation of current passenger-rail service in Wisconsin, and continue planning work for expansion.
During a news conference at the Capitol in Madison, Alliance deputy director Chris Ott said these amounts should be considered a minimum. The current power struggle in Washington over control of federal funding could mean that states will need to move their passenger-rail projects forward on their own.
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Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—And How to Bring It Back
When: Friday, April 4 at 12pm CT on Zoom
Speaker: Author, Marc Dunkelman
America built the world’s greatest rail network, along with a vast electrical grid, interstate highways, abundant housing, the Social Security system, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and more. But today, even while facing pressing challenges that include dilapidated infrastructure and a climate crisis, progress is difficult. In this talk, you’ll hear from Marc Dunkelman, author of the new book Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—And How to Bring It Back. He argues that both conservatives and progressives have played a role in creating gridlock that stifles progress, and that we can get past it.
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