Happening Now
Illinois Needs Your Input on Next Phase of Chicago - St. Louis Rail Corridor
March 26, 2014
Written By Sean Jeans Gail
The Illinois Department of Transportation is looking for public input on the next phase of the Chicago – St. Louis rail corridor, and the Midwest High Speed Rail Association is organizing local train advocates to ensure that the potential for truly world class high speed operations is protected:
IDOT is currently reconstructing the tracks between Joliet and Granite City to increase cruising speeds from 80 to 110 mph. That work is already paying dividends with much improved service.
Now, they are preparing the Tier II Environmental Impact Statements for the end segments. The Tier II’s will include preliminary design work that will determine how many and what type of trains can operate on those segments. When completed, the projects will be eligible for federal funds.
In this first step, IDOT will define the scope of the projects by preparing Purpose and Need Statements. All future decisions about the projects will be governed by the Purpose and Need Statements. That is why it is so important that you comment now and show your support for as forward-thinking statements as possible.
The deadline for comment is April 1. You can head over to MidwestHSR.org to find out more.
"On behalf of Amtrak’s onboard service staff, I want to thank the Rail Passengers Association for honoring their hard work with this award. The past couple years have indeed been difficult for Amtrak onboard service staff – coping with furloughs and job insecurity, adapting to changing protocols and services, not to mention the unfortunate events such as a tragic derailment and a fatal shooting. Nevertheless, our dedicated members at Amtrak have handled these hurdles with the care, attention and diligence for which they’re known. We thank Rail Passengers for their acknowledgement of our members’ hard work and, as always, look forward to seeing you on the rails."
Arthur Maratea, TCU/IAM National President
December 21, 2021, on the Association awarding its 2021 Golden Spike Award to the Frontline Amtrak Employees.
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