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Illinois wants east-west Amtrak route studied
sound ok . now if we could wake up florida to the fact that west traffic is needed without going to wash,dc
Illinois is broke. But don’t worry. Madigan will make sure it gets done and create an even bigger fiscal hole. You can always count on socialists to spend money they don’t have on things nobody needs. It’s the Chicago way. Oddly, it would be the only train that doesn’t go to Chicago. I suspect Chicago is looking for a consolation prize to give to the red counties so it can go ahead with some other crooked program. That is why nobody in Chicago is opposing this. Buy off the opposition. It’s the Chicago way.
This is a boondoggle attempt. No direct rail between Smith Road in Urbana & 1680 Road West in Danville. Would require regrading, new track, grade separations and new signals. Plus the old P&E ROW goes through several towns (Fithian, Ogden, St Joseph) where it ran along streets that reclaimed it.
This is merely an attempt to get access to HSR pork for routes that don’t originate in Chicago.
Study is about as far as this is going to go.
I assume the Moline-Peoria line would use the existing BNSF (CB&Q) tracks, and Peoria-Bloomington would use NS (NKP). Beyond that, from Bloomington to Champaign to Danville would basically have to be new construction or resurrecting the old Peoria & Eastern. Unless they want all-new construction…then the cost skyrockets.
I would like for someone in washington dc to have a study done for passenger service from chicago to atlanta and then to jacksonville fla. It is too troublesome to go from chicago to dc then to fla on the silver meteor or silver star, and often times it is nearly impossible to make connections on a superliner with available bedrooms. If a person from fla would like to go to new orleans or destinations west, he would be able to do so by making connections in atlanta.
I would like for someone in washington dc to have a study done for passenger service from chicago to atlanta and then to jacksonville fla. It is too troublesome to go from chicago to dc then to fla on the silver meteor or silver star, and often times it is nearly impossible to make connections on a superliner with available bedrooms. If a person from fla would like to go to new orleans or destinations west, he would be able to do so by making connections in atlanta.
I would like for someone in washington dc to have a study done for passenger service from chicago to atlanta and then to jacksonville fla. It is too troublesome to go from chicago to dc then to fla on the silver meteor or silver star, and often times it is nearly impossible to make connections on a superliner with available bedrooms. If a person from fla would like to go to new orleans or destinations west, he would be able to do so by making connections in atlanta.
I would like for someone in washington dc to have a study done for passenger service from chicago to atlanta and then to jacksonville fla. It is too troublesome to go from chicago to dc then to fla on the silver meteor or silver star, and often times it is nearly impossible to make connections on a superliner with available bedrooms. If a person from fla would like to go to new orleans or destinations west, he would be able to do so by making connections in atlanta.
I love trains and would love to see this done - BUT - Illinois has a $100 billion state pension problem that the legislature in Springfield has consistently failed to handle. Plus, the state is hugely behind in payments to school districts, social service agencies, etc., etc. They need to resolve this mess before they go spending money on a new rail service.
Did someone say “bring back The Floridian”?
One more time…
Have the Cardinal go to St. Louis instead of Chicago (have a car or two split onto the Hoosier State at IND - Would also turn this into an LD train and save it under PRIIA), make stations at the crossings of the IC Main and BINGO. Cross state route that allows good enough connections.
Still looking for a route NW to SE…maybe CN ex IC line to Decatur then east…wait a minute! Moody’s just lowered Illinois bond rating to 4 levels above junk; 46th in the USA’s state financial health ranking…who’s paying for this?
Why go east to go down south? Does not make sense to me.
With air travel from Des Moines being VERY costly, Illinois working to expand Amtrak service, I have to wonder about the thinking of IA Gov. Bransted not supporting a Chicago-Omaha Amtrak extension. Des Moines is a growing insurance center as well as the most populated area of Iowa with the Univ of Iowa 100 miles to the east and IA Staqte Univ. 30 miles to the north, yet state government continues to focus it’s attention on roads. If you have traveled I-80 across Iowa, you know the conjestion and that it is at or very near capacity. A strange state I live in.
Well predicted by Mr. James regarding Mr. Guse. Further suggest that Mr. Guse re-check the nature of socialism since Chicago would not be terribly socialistic.
Why don’t they consider bringing back the Wabash Cannonball?
Waiting for an anti-passenger rail comment from Jeffrey Guse in 3…2…1…
There is the old Conrail route between Bloomington and Champaign.