Posted on 05/06/2010 4:54:16 PM PDT by Willie Green
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers signaled their support for a 220-mph high-speed passenger train that could someday connect Chicago and St. Louis.
On Thursday, the Senate unanimously approved a resolution creating the Illinois and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission, which will recommend ways to design, build and maintain the train route. Members of the commission will be appointed by the governor and lawmakers.
Proponents hope high-speed rail will bring thousands of jobs to the state, as well as cut down travel time between stops in Illinois.
Earlier in the week, mayors from across the state circulated a letter to lawmakers showing their support for high-speed rail. Michael McElroy, of Decatur, was among a handful of mayors who signed the letter.
The mayors also are asking Gov. Pat Quinn to allocate $10 million in capital construction funds to cover “engineering and environmental studies” to help get the project up and running.
In January, Illinois was awarded $1.2 billion from the federal government for a high-speed rail project that would cut travel times on the route by about 90 minutes. The resolution seeks to build on that program by pushing for even faster trains.
Rather than following the current route that roughly parallels Interstate 55, the proposed 220-mph route would go from St. Louis to Springfield, over to Decatur, then to Champaign and up to Chicago.
The legislation is Senate Resolution 806.
So they want to build a train from where there is little jobs or commerce to another place where there is little jobs or commerce?????
300 miles...
choo choos were so yesterday in the late 1800s. They never go where you want to.
Seems like the only place choo choos work is were people live inches apart.
eco-nuts never stop trying to figure out ways to waste money. Why not let the choo choo riders pay for them.
Maybe they’ll also allocate some of our money to pay welfare recipients to ride the choo-choos.
Cluster blank.
300 miles...
An ideal distance for modern, high-speed passenger rail.
Faster and more convenient than driving.
Much more efficient than short-hop air travel.
So they want to build a train from where there is little jobs or commerce to another place where there is little jobs or commerce?????”
OF course-—this is the Democrats. Bridges to nowhere-—trains that are empty. Atlas Shrugged comes to life somewhere near you.
Jobs that last only a short time, tear up miles of farmland, pay the farmer a pittance for his productive land—and then watch as the Mississippi gives them a flooding headache someday.
Meanwhile, the thugs in Chicago can visit their cousin thugs in St Louis with a faster trip paid for with welfare money you & I provided.
Another giant sucking sound is approaching...I can hear it.
300 miles
$1.2 billion
Is that 4 million dollars a MILE?
Gold plated rails?
Endangered wood for the cross ties??
Is that $757.58 per FOOT????
What a boondoggle!!!!!!!
How many electric cars could they buy those welfare queens instead??
OOOOPS—I forgot—those electric cars only go 40 miles before needing an overnight recharging!!!! That would take over a week to go one way!!!!
Reduce travel time by 90 minutes if using the high speed train.
I noticed that they didn’t say what the expected ridership would be or what the expected cost per one way would be.
Let’s say it is about $30 one way.
That would take 40 MILLION one way trips to pay for this thing.........
Not a single business in the world would go for this kind of return on investment (ROE).
Not ONE.
But the Democrats think it is wonderful.
Liberalism IS a Disease...
300 miles...”
6 hours by car-—unless you are driving an electric car that only goes 40 miles before needing an overnight recharge.
It's my money darn-it.
Reduce travel time by 90 minutes if using the high speed train.
I noticed that they didn’t say what the expected ridership would be or what the expected cost per one way would be.
Let’s say it is about $30 one way.
Current Amtrak fare on the "Lincoln Service" (Chicago to St. Louis) is $24 for a 5 hr 20 min trip (4 trains daily each way). Annual ridership was 506 thousand.
Amtrak "Texas Eagle" (Chicago–San Antonio) also travels this route twice a day with a stop for passengers in St. Louis. Texas Eagle ridership is another 123 thousand passengers.
I think these 600K + passengers would happily pay an additional $6 to trim 90 minutes off their trip.
In fact, at under 4 hours, I bet you'd start cutting significantly into Chicago to St. Louis air travel.... maybe another 100~150K switching to trains.
This actually is one of the more promising routes. In part because the distance is right and also because so much of the route would have relatively inexpensive right of way.
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