WASHINGTON — Ten more routes — almost all of them radiating from Chicago — have joined the list of those selected for inclusion in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program, according to announcements today from a variety of sources.
Selection, the first step in the process of gaining or increasing Amtrak service, brings a $500,000 grant from the FRA to fund a Service Development Plan, which includes determining a timeline, infrastructure needs, and costs for launching service. More on the Corridor ID program is available here.
The routes announced today (Thursday, Dec. 7) include:
— Chicago-Peoria, Ill.
— Chicago-Quad Cities
— Chicago-Indianapolis
— Chicago-Quincy corridor extension to Hannibal, Mo.
— Chicago-Carbondale, Ill. (increased service)
— Chicago-St. Louis (increased service)
— Chicago-Grand Rapids, Mich. (Increased service)
— Chicago-Pontiac, Mich. Wolverine corridor (increased service)
— Chicago-Port Huron, Mich. (increased service)
— North Coast Hiawatha corridor
Today’s announcements bring to 33 the number of corridors whose selection has been announced by federal, state, or local officials, following 14 announced on Tuesday [see “North Carolina, Ohio corridors lead list ..,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 5, 2023] and nine on Wednesday [see “Legislators announce selection of nine more …,” News Wire, Dec. 6, 2023]. Apparently, this is less than half the total number of routes included. At a press conference today, Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said 69 of 90 applicants nationwide had been selected. It is believed the FRA will release a full list on Friday.
All of these corridors were announced by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (both D-Ill.) with no additional details; their announcement also included the previously daily Cardinal and expanded Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha service.
Announcements elsewhere offered more information.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) announced the funding for the North Coast Hiawatha route, which will go to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, a group of Montana counties organized with the specific goal of reviving the Amtrak route last served in 1979. “This effort is the gateway and initial step toward future passenger rail service on the former North Coast Hiawatha route connecting Chicago to Seattle while providing service to cities and communities in Montana and North Dakota that have been without passenger rail for over 44 years,” said Authority Chairman Dave Strohmaier.
The Illinois Department of Transportation will receive $1.5 million in funding for the studies on three of the routes — Chicago-St. Louis, Chicago-Carbondale, and the Quad Cities extension — according to a press release quoted by WGEM-TV. The latter project hinges on construction of a connection between BNSF Railway and Iowa Interstate Railroad near Wyanet, Ill., and an agreement with Iowa Interstate to use its tracks from that connection to Moline, Ill. More than $400 million in federal and state money has previously been awarded for infrastructure upgrades, as far back as 2010, the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus note.
The City of Peoria was the applicant for the Chicago-Peoria route and will receive the grant for the Service Development Plan. WCBU-FM reports intermediate stops are planned in LaSalle-Peru, Utica, Ottawa, Morris, and Joliet; that route, as outlined in a 2022 study, involves Iowa Interstate, CSX, and Canadian National trackage [see “New study makes case for Peoria-Chicago …,” News Wire, July 25, 2022]. Ali, the Peoria mayor, estimated it will take seven to 10 years to launch service.
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