urbanSTL

New Illinois high speed rail commission signed into the law.  Not sure if this really accomplishes anything or not considering any improvements and added service hinges on infrastructure bill adding more funds to the endeavor.    The comments were not kind.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... rail-bill/

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill creating a state high speed rail commission. House Bill 399, sponsored by Rep. Martin Moylan (D-Des Plaines) will require the commission to create a statewide plan for a high speed rail line connecting Chicago and St. Louis. [see “Digest: Delays add $300 million to cost of Gateway project,” Trains News Wire, March 9, 2021].

WIFR-TV reports the commission will create a report on a high speed system that will offer connections to Rockford, Moline, Peoria, and Decatur.

The bill establishes a 21-member commission to conduct a ridership study and make decisions about a governance structure, service frequency, and implementation of the plan. It calls for use of existing Amtrak and Metra service as part of a feeder network that will also coordinate with intercity bus service.

Rockford seems easiest to integrate by just extending Metra service from either the Milwaukee District / West Line from the Big Timber station out to Rockford or the Union Pacific / Northwest Line from Crystal Lake.  Even if it's a separate line that just extends from Rockford to the Big Timber station. As for Peoria and Decatur, I'd suggest a Metra style train connecting both through Bloomington. There's plenty of old railroad right of ways that are partially in use from Decatur to Bloomington - with some gaps where the rail was previously removed and others still being active freight rail. Just a matter of how complex and difficult they want to make this.

“The proposed high-speed rail line would start at O'Hare International Airport and take just 127 minutes to reach downtown St. Louis, stopping at Champaign-Urbana in less than an hour.”

They can’t even get this latest upgrade that seems like it has been going my entire life right, so it’s hard for me to envision this one going any better.

sc4mayor wrote: ↑

Aug 10, 2021

^ I’ll at least give Illinois props for trying.  Especially with this administration’s stated intentions for Amtrak and passenger rail.

More than you can say for Missouri.

Agree with the desire but agree with Jshank's sentiment.   I have been following Cali HSR since moving out West and how it has played out here with a whole commission and state agency literally from skratch in the name of High Speed Rail when the state has a very large and capable DOT w decades of right of way, public engagement and real estate experience.  Therefore  I'm kinda of skeptical for the region's rail in Illinois having the new rail commission when time after time a new layer of government on state and local levels tends to lead things down a very slow and expensive path in building new infrastructure.   In addition, I can't help think that this is Illinois way of trying to get more infrastructure funds to flow into Chicago area by supporting a rail build out to Ohara.

Instead, the moment to secure some real funds and finally making a push to get legit/frequent 110 mph corridor service between Chicago and St. Louis is here and really need to make this happen if passenger rails is ever going to be a serious contender in respective regions let alone regions such as Midwest..   Money would be better spend getting trains moving faster through the cities in my opinion, like Downtown Chicago to Joliet and say Alston to Dowtown St Louis while expanding capacity and frequency

Is the delay on 110mph due to lack of funding, or just the length of time to perform signal testing and approval?

MarkHaversham wrote: ↑

Aug 11, 2021

Is the delay on 110mph due to lack of funding, or just the length of time to perform signal testing and approval?

More so poor signaling performance. Things just didn't quite work they way they wanted. I'm pretty sure 110 mph isn't delayed, it's not even guaranteed right now without additional improvement projects.  

Signaling
Check out this video 

Train Travel in the U.S. Is Getting More Luxurious
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/us-train-travel-more-comfortable

Any city within a 6 hour drive should be connected . STL could be a mini hub like Chicago and be connected to Indy, KC, Chicago, Tulsa, Cincinnati, Columbus, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, De Moines, etc. Now is the time to do this.

I’m from Chicago and I ride Amtrak a lot to go back home and 6+ hours most of the time and ven though it supposed to be 5 1/2 hrs kills the experience it shouldn’t take no more than 2 hours. The region and the USA would benefit so much from this. Commercial Airlines should focus on long hauls and leave the short distances to trains.

Fingers crossed this momentum continues!!


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Commercial Airlines should focus on long hauls and leave the short distances to trains.

Which is why airlines lobby to kill HSR

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote:

Commercial Airlines should focus on long hauls and leave the short distances to trains.

Which is why airlines lobby to kill HSR

I know. That’s sad but it is our fault for letting our elected officials stay in power after working for the big corps.


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JJ Rivera wrote: ↑

Sep 27, 2021

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote:

Commercial Airlines should focus on long hauls and leave the short distances to trains.

Which is why airlines lobby to kill HSR

I know. That’s sad but it is our fault for letting our elected officials stay in power after working for the big corps.


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If they didn't work for the big corps, you wouldn't be allowed to vote for them.

The cost of HSR far outweighed the benefits imho. What it would cost to link STL and Chicago could also buy many light rail and tram lines.

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑

Sep 27, 2021

Commercial Airlines should focus on long hauls and leave the short distances to trains.

Which is why airlines lobby to kill HSR

And why I don't want airports to be privatized. I don't want a company suing the city or state for trying to improve the train station or other rail infrastructure.

ldai_phs wrote: ↑

Sep 27, 2021

The cost of HSR far outweighed the benefits imho. What it would cost to link STL and Chicago could also buy many light rail and tram lines.

Have to agree to build out a true HSR Chicago to St Louis doesn't make sense to me based on cost vs benefit but crossing fingers on infrastructure bill happening so more progress can be made on bringing more of the line up to 125 mph service, increase speeds through metro areas, etc.  In other words, timewise between a car and air.
I really see US as a whole different rail market where we are somewhere between China who could build at will literally based one person's decision, or one party's decision and Europe where you have a willing political push to make car ownership more expensive mixed in with a mentality of two separate right of ways from the get go which has benefited a strong national network.   So on the China part, the US simply has a lot of chefs in the kitchens resulting in a lot of rules & regulations, to reviews. to permits to to many stakeholders that you truly need a dense corridor like Northeast or large metro areas such as LA to San Fran Bay or Dallas to Houston (whether its state or private) to make the cost benefit work for true HSR.   On the European part, the one thing very different is the rail infrastructure tended to be built separated and without at grade interaction with roads from the get go which is a huge plus and lets be frank they don't have the mentality of most Americans like myself who want the timeliness & convenience of cars (sorry, might entertain rail over air from Bay to LA when it gets better but I can get to Sacramento whenever i want a lot quicker in my car even though Capital Corridor service would be doable).    

So what do I think can happen for St. Louis sake as well many city pairs?  For starters, a stronger national network w more mini hubs.   Amtrak likes its hub because its easier on logistics front.   But no reason St. Louis shouldn't have more service in more directions on existing rail network whether reinstating & supporting extended River Runner to Memphis & New Orleans or new service to eastward to Indy or Ohio to pair up with trains coming and going from Chicago.    Second, no reason why can't build upon higher speed service within city corridors & regional rail with a semi separated right of way and get 125 regional corridor coverage in Midwest for the likes of Chicago to STL, Chico to Detroit, so on.   Start by separating out rail in rural areas and consolidate in cities to get overall speeds up.    Finally, find ways to make Northeast HSR, Cali HSR to Texas Rail happen - Three areas with the density and metro areas that HSR would be benefit and compliment existing infrastructure.   So that is my bucket list.  Of course, the infrastructure bill will help build a stronger national network as well as support some needed corridor investment. but still comes up short in supporting a more vigorous corridor service and key HSR investment in Northeast, California & Texas

ldai_phs wrote: ↑

Sep 27, 2021

The cost of HSR far outweighed the benefits imho. What it would cost to link STL and Chicago could also buy many light rail and tram lines.

Forestalling the climate apocalypse requires us to do all of the above (and more), anyway.

Chicago FRA released its Midwest Passenger Rail plan.   Haven't gone through the entire report as it entails 198 pages.  The one item that sticks out to me in what I have read, being biased, is the plan does not envision a future easterly connection for St. Louis and or even the low hanging fruit of tying KC & St. Louis to Memphis/New Orleans.   Unfortunately, until St Louis advocates heavily for itself it will continue to be seen as a spoke on the Chicago hub network. 

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/ ... ion--64908

 https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot ... 20PDFa.pdf

Well it only took them ten years to almost implement medium-speed rail to STL, I wonder how long high speed will take?

It's amazing the lack of accountability for that project. Like, they spent $1 billion on the tracks and the train has exactly the same timetable. 

I tried to get a late afternoon train from Chicago to stl on January 2, 2022 and it’s sold out, idk if it’s a glitch or a lot of people from here are going to Chicago for NYE

dbInSouthCity wrote:I tried to get a late afternoon train from Chicago to stl on January 2, 2022 and it’s sold out, idk if it’s a glitch or a lot of people from here are going to Chicago for NYE

I use it all the time and sells out all the time.


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Springfield rail plan secured a RAISE grant (formerly BUILD, and TIGER).    

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/do ... Sheets.pdf

This project will construct Usable Segment III of the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. The project includes: a new underpasses at Madison and Jefferson Streets, grading and trackwork from Capitol Avenue to Mason Street, and new grade crossing/pedestrian signals at Washington Street, Monroe Street, and Capitol Avenue. The proposed project is the third segment of the larger Springfield Rail Improvements Project which will double-track a portion of the Chicago to St. Louis Union Pacific freight and Amtrak passenger corridor for 110 mph services and relocate the existing Amtrak/Union Pacific Railroad corridor to a new expanded corridor adjacent to the existing Norfolk Southern tracks through Springfield.