IDOT Requests Feasibility Study To Bring Passenger Rail Service To Peoria
From a press release from the
(Peoria) – On March 8th, 2007, a group of community leaders and organizers along with representatives from the passenger rail industry met in Peoria. Among the items they discussed were possible routes, funding sources, and the need for a feasibility study to address some of those concerns. The state has now taken the next step by requesting such a study be started by Amtrak.
George Weber, acting director of the
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), has made an official request that Amtrak begin a feasibility study to determine “potential routes and associated cost estimates as part of the proposed re-establishment ofpassenger rail service to the area.”Explaining the cooperation between IDOT and
Amtrak , Weber says, “Amtrak’s role in Illinois’ multi-modal transportation system is becoming more important. This is especially true in areas without existing passenger rail service. A feasibility study for proposed service is a critical step and will serve as the basis for continuing discussions in the possibilities of future expansions of passenger rail service in Illinois.”Under the direction of Mayor
Jim Ardis and the City Council, Peoria has been seeking support from Amtrak and IDOT to re-establish passenger service to the city. “We’re really excited to be following the lead that Mayor Ardis and the council have provided. Passenger rail service is a tool that Peoria must explore to maintain its world-class transportation infrastructure.” says Steve Jaeger, Executive Director ofTransPORT (TheHeart of Illinois Regional Port District ).TransPORT will continue to coordinate with the City of Peoria to facilitate the Amtrak study and work with other local communities and organizations to develop a plan to aide the entire region. It has been nearly 25 years since passenger rail service was offered in the Peoria area. A similar feasibility study was recently completed in Rockford and another has begun in the Quad Cities. It is expected that the Peoria study could take a year to finish, and further steps to secure local service could take place after its completion.
My two cents: I have no strong opinion either way. Rail service is infrastructure, which is an appropriate use of public funds. My impression has been that rail service wasn’t feasible because people preferred to use their cars, which lets them travel on their schedule and to specific sites they want to go. Rail follows a set schedule and requires additional transportation before and after. The question is whether there’s enough people who want to use it now. I distrust politicians who might want to expand a ton of money in hopes people will be convinced to use it because the politicians see value in it. Or who simply see it as a way to get a bigger budget and more jobs under their control.
Frankly, I’d just like to see IDOT instead spend some money getting sound barriers for those Peorians who live along Interstate 74 suffering from added noise after the upgrade.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
Create an IAS/BNSF interchange at Chilli and upgrade the track south to Peoria. Done.
Gas is up to almost $3/gallon again – PLEASE BRING THE TRAINS HERE!!!
Gee that would mean that the Kellar branch would be used to bring in trains. The horrors! Can you sing; “When bats fly out my ass….”
Good news. We need rail in Peoria. It has been way too long
Actually, Emtronics, the Kellar Branch has nothing to do with it, though using that line out to the Union Pacific NW of the city to Edelstein thence on the BNSF to Chicago would allow a station stop at Peoria Heights and the city’s growth areas. That would take a lot of $$$$ (far more than restoration of freight service) and also give Bruce Brown a heart attack.
Don’t hold your breath. You may have noticed that high gasoline prices haven’t reduced U.S. gasoline consumption. A hard core of enthusiasts has been trying to bring passenger rail back to Peoria for decades. The problem is, people won’t ride the trains.
Given Amtrak’s ridership increase since more routes were added in Illinois, I would beg to differ with you. People will ride the trains.
I’m with CJ – maybe baby boomers who grew up when cars were better than sliced bread won’t get out of their cars. But I’m a Gen Xer, and many in my generation would love to get out of our cars/think mass transit is cool.
Don’t get me wrong. I hope it happens. I have ridden trains in Europe, and it was a wonderful experience. I took a cross-country trip on the California Zephyr once. That was not a wonderful experience.
Part of the problem as I see it is people are not looking at the whole picture with the rail coming to Peoria. This is not just a train to take you to Chicago for the day for shopping or a visit. This is connection to the entire state for everything. Business, schooling, etc. Plus the rest of the state will have connection to Peoria. People coming here for classes at one of our colleges or our university. Coming here to attend the Civic Center, O’Brien Field, or any one of many other activities going on in the area. People coming in for business conferences and possible future businesses here. People bringing money to Peoria. One of the discussions was whether this would be a destination or a stop on the way to other cities in the state. We need to be a stop on the way so that others will come here. Stop thinking only one direction. Having the advantage of passenger rail into and out of Peoria is definitely going to benefit the area. More people will be willing to relocate to the area, thus bringing economic development, if we have more and easier access to the rest of the state. Cities all over the country are looking at this and it is making sense. We are becoming a nation of convenience and taking the train is convenient, cheaper and a lot less stressful than driving.
And more over, it is a connection to the rest of the country via rail. Amtrak lines that would connect indirectly with Peoria would stretch from coast to coast.