Hooray!

Hold on …

Don’t plan to ride the rails to Chicago to see an exhibit, ballgame or concert yet. Amtrak’s 50th anniversary was in 2021, but it’s been years that Amtrak fans like me have driven to Galesburg or Normal to get onboard.

Passenger service is needed, and soaring gas prices make rail look increasingly sensible, but returning Amtrak isn’t a matter of printing schedules and opening a station.

Challenges include upgrades to track, possible environmental impact studies along the route, working with freight lines, and lobbying for state support.

Upgrades: “There are different levels of maintenance requirements to operate passenger rail,” says Tom Carper, a member of Amtrak’s board for 14 years and its former chair. “It is likely that much of the track will need to be upgraded.”

Freight railroads: Proposals elsewhere have been deadlocked for years, sometimes due to resistant freight lines. “The level of cooperation when allowing passenger service on existing freight-only lines varies for different railroads and can depend on the existing capacity and quality of the right of way under consideration and other issues,” Carper continues. “Today’s [freight] trains are getting longer, some sidings are too short, and passenger trains are supposed to have preference [but] often that is not the case.”

Environmental-impact studies: Marc Magliari, Amtrak Media Relations Manager in Chicago, comments, “Generally, if the current ‘footprint’ of a railroad has enough room for improvements such as a passing track or a wider bridge, the environmental approval process can move quickly. If land needs to be acquired, important and lengthy environmental reviews are needed. Regardless, capacity improvements would need to be engineered, if needed, funded and then built.”

As for backing from the state, the current governor and lawmakers may be more receptive than the previous administration and legislature. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner cut state contributions to Illinois’ Amtrak service, but Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic lawmakers’ super-majority enacted a 2019 capital bill including funds for new routes benefiting the Quad Cities and Rockford.

In 2011, Amtrak’s Feasibility Report of Proposed Amtrak Service, Chicago-Peoria says, “a decision was made by IDOT [the Illinois Department of Transportation] that no through-train frequencies between Peoria and Chicago were to be considered.”

But things have changed in state agencies and Peoria.

A plank in Rita Ali’s mayoral campaign platform was restoring train service, and the effort was launched with a working group including former Congressman and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and involvement by organizations such as the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.

Mayor Ali has said the City is committed, and the public seems engaged, with more than 30,000 people answering a survey about the idea. Progress encourages optimism, and momentum could continue this month when a new IDOT feasibility study is due. In May, following input from the Federal Railroad Administration and National Transportation Board, a federal report is expected.

The need is obvious to advocates.

Peoria is Illinois’ largest metro area without passenger rail service, and, as the Mayor’s said, “everybody doesn’t own a car.”

Train travel is more comfortable and convenient than long drives, much less short flights’ requirements to get to airports hours early, deal with parking, and bypass communities instead of linking them.

“Trains connect us,” Carper said. “Many [communities] don’t have any other public transportation to the rest of the country.”

Plus, adding Amtrak could jump-start the region’s economy, helping business, providing options for flexible or remote workers who commute, and bringing visitors.

“Passenger rail brings economic value to cities and regions, large and small,” Carper said. “Regularly scheduled passenger rail provides value to the quality of life by providing safe and accessible transportation.

“From my experience as the mayor of a college town [Macomb], 250 miles from Chicago, it is critical,” he continued. “Two round trips per day provide the flexibility of safe travel, with WiFi, avoiding urban traffic and parking issues for students, faculty and businesses. Passenger rail service is good for the economy. Much like broadband internet, transportation connectivity can be key for the future of rural communities.”

The project could cost millions of dollars over a few years. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is providing billions nationally, some of it earmarked for repairs and improvements to the system..

“The IIJA provides more funding for Amtrak and rail in the next five years than Amtrak has received in the last 50 years,” Magliari says. “We hope it will add communities such as Peoria to the Amtrak map, which is what we’ve been advocating with the AmtrakConnectsUS plan to add new or expanded service to more than 160 cities.”

It may seem like “hurry up and wait,” but area residents need patience as well as perseverance.

“But enthusiasm is good,” Carper says.