The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce is seeking public support to help achieve progress in long-delayed planned passenger rail service to and from Chicago.
Illinois State Senator Mike Halpin and Representative Gregg Johnson filed resolutions in
the Illinois Senate and House last week, urging Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation to make a formal request to the National Surface Transportation Board to compel Iowa Interstate Railroad to enter into an agreement on the QC passenger rail project.
The QC Chamber has an online petition, asking people to support this bill. In the first 24 hours, the online petition gathered 497 supporters, with that number expected to grow, according to
Chamber spokeswoman Jennifer Walker. It was at 571 signatures this morning, she said Monday.
The long-planned QC passenger rail route, between Chicago and Moline, was initially slated to begin service in 2014. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin secured $177 million in federal funding back in 2010, and Gov. Pritzker committed an additional $225 million in 2019.
The project is projected to have a $25-million annual economic impact once service begins and bring up to 825 permanent jobs to the QC region, the Chamber’s petition page says.
Despite this funding being available, the last remaining hurdle to construction is an
agreement between the Illinois Department of Transportation and Iowa Interstate Railroad on the upgrades needed to convert their existing freight tracks for passenger service.
“Iowa Interstate Railroad is holding our region hostage in an egregious attempt to extract hundreds of millions of additional taxpayer dollars to improve their privately owned infrastructure,” the Chamber wrote.
About a half a billion dollars in federal and state funds have been pledged already for the Moline-to-Chicago rail service, Sen. Halpin said at a press conference Feb. 27 in Moline with local and state officials.
“Sadly, although there was unanimity on behalf of office holders on policy and a bipartisan commitment on funds for this project, there’s always been one common denominator standing in the way of progress – and that’s been Iowa Interstate Railroad,” he said then.
IDOT spokesman Paul Wappel said Feb. 27 that there was a meeting held with IDOT, the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak and the Iowa Interstate Railroad to discuss ways that the four parties could work together to bring the service to a reality and start delivering the benefits to the public.
“Unfortunately, the Iowa Interstate Railroad still wishes to pursue a scope of improvements
that would be cost-prohibitive to taxpayers,” he said. “Despite the challenges, IDOT remains committed to this project and seeing passenger rail return to Moline and the Quad Cities.”
The state has $447 million identified for the entire project between Chicago and Moline (mix of federal, state resources, including $225 million from the Rebuild Illinois capital program), with the Iowa Interstate Railroad seeking a public investment of roughly $750 million for the 55-mile section between Wyanet and Moline, Wappel said.
To sign the online petition, click HERE.
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