Quad Cities(train)
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| Service type | Inter-city rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Planned | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First service | 2024 (planned) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Chicago,Illinois Moline, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stops | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance travelled | 162 miles (261 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service frequency | Twice-daily | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track owner(s) | BNSF,IAIS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheQuad Citiesis a plannedAmtrakIllinois Serviceintercity passenger trainthat will operate betweenChicagoandMolinein the US state ofIllinois.The train will duplicate the route and stations of theCarl SandburgandIllinois Zephyrbetween Chicago andWyanetusing track owned byBNSF.On the Wyanet–Moline segment, which will include a station atGeneseo,the train will use track owned byIowa Interstate Railroad.[1]
History
[edit]Originally, theRock Island Railroadprovided passenger service in theQuad Citiesvia theQuad Cities Rockettrain. The railroad initially declined to hand passenger operations over to Amtrak, and service to Chicago continued until December 31, 1978.[2]
In 2008,United States SenatorsTom HarkinandChuck Grassleyof Iowa andDick DurbinandBarack Obamaof Illinois sent a letter to Amtrak asking them to begin plans to bring rail service to the Quad Cities.[3]In October 2010, a $230 million federal fund was announced that will bring Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, with a new line running from Moline to Chicago. They had hoped to have the line completed in 2015, and to offer two daily round trips to Chicago.[4]In December 2011, the federal government awarded $177 million in funding for the Amtrak connection.[5]
In 2015, Illinois Republican governorBruce Raunerannounced a spending freeze that placed both the proposed train service and theBlack Hawkto Dubuque, Iowa, under review by theIllinois Department of Transportation(IDOT).[6]After being on hold for over a year, IDOT moved forward with the project in order to prevent losing the $177 million in federal funding for the passenger service.[7]
In July 2019, a new transportation bill was passed by the Illinois state legislature, supported byGovernor J.B. Pritzker,with $225 million was appropriated to begin this service.[8]In its 2020–2025 service plan, Amtrak forecast that the Chicago–Moline route will begin in fiscal year 2024 and attract 165,600 riders that year.[9]
In February 2023, State Senator Mike Halpin, State Representative Gregg Johnson, and Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati asked IDOT and Amtrak to request intervention from theSurface Transportation Boardagainst theIowa Interstate Railroadfor holding up the project.[10]
In December 2023, theFederal Railroad Administrationaccepted an application by IDOT to enter the Chicago–Moline route into itsCorridor Identification and Development Program.The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the route for future federal funding.[11]
Route and stops
[edit]The entire route is in Illinois.
References
[edit]- ^"Chicago to Quad Cities Map".IllinoisRail.org.
- ^Glischinski, Steve (2007).Regional Railroads of the Midwest.Voyageur Press. p. 77.ISBN9781610604956.
- ^Coulter, Melissa (June 6, 2008)."Ready to trade wheels for rails".Quad-City Times.RetrievedJuly 25,2016.
- ^Tibbetts, Ed (October 25, 2010)."Quad-City rail project to get $230 million".Quad-City Times.RetrievedJuly 25,2016.
- ^Pulliam, John R. (December 15, 2011)."$177M earmarked for QC-Chicago rail".The Register-Mail.RetrievedJuly 28,2016.
- ^Simmons, Shane (January 25, 2015)."Gov. Rauner's spending freeze results in 'review' of Quad City Amtrak project".WQAD-TV.RetrievedJuly 25,2016.
- ^Timmons, Eric (June 21, 2016)."Illinois commits to Chicago-Moline passenger rail".The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus.RetrievedJuly 25,2016.
- ^Ketz, Jonathan (October 23, 2019)."Rail group celebrates 'big win' for Amtrak line from QC to Chicago".WQAD.com.RetrievedDecember 13,2019.
- ^"Amtrak Five-Year Service Line Plans: Fiscal Years 2020-2025"(PDF).Amtrak. p. 71, 150.RetrievedNovember 6,2021.
- ^O'Neill, Michelle (February 27, 2023)."Chicago to Moline Passenger Rail Advocates Push for Federal Intervention".WVIK, Quad Cities NPR.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
- ^"FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections"(PDF).railroads.dot.gov.Federal Railroad Administration.December 2023.RetrievedDecember 9,2023.