Passenger Trains > New IL Amtrak Route Study

From Crain's Chicago Business on 4/8/14, www.chicagobusiness.com - subscription site. Good to see the state looking at route expansion, but what's the chances of this actually happening. No detail on actual routing or timeline of study.


"April 08, 2014

(AP) — State lawmakers are backing the creation of an east-west passenger rail corridor across Illinois.
The Illinois House unanimously approved a non-binding resolution Monday endorsing a possible Amtrak route from the Quad Cities in the west to Danville in the east.

The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers reports that the route would include stops in Galesburg, Peoria, Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana and connect already existing stretches of track."

That would help us Hoosiers get to #s 3 and 5 quicker.

santafedan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That would help us Hoosiers get to #s 3 and 5
> quicker.

How so? You would all drive to Danville?

This plan has no chance of happening. It would be smarter to subsidize motor coach service along I-74 to determine if there's actually any passenger demand. You also have the minor issue of having to essentially rebuild the entire ROW including the portion of the old Peoria & Eastern between Urbana and Danville abandoned 15+ years ago.

Illinois would in fact be smart to consider developing an "Illinois Thruway" network of bus routes to connect with the various Amtrak lines in the state. But then again, this is Illinois we're talking about.

niagara484

Have they legalized pot in Illinois? Really - a train route that doesn't originate or terminate in Chicago?

niagara484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> santafedan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That would help us Hoosiers get to #s 3 and 5
> > quicker.
>
> How so? You would all drive to Danville?
>
> This plan has no chance of happening. It would be
> smarter to subsidize motor coach service along
> I-74 to determine if there's actually any
> passenger demand. You also have the minor issue
> of having to essentially rebuild the entire ROW
> including the portion of the old Peoria & Eastern
> between Urbana and Danville abandoned 15+ years
> ago.
>
> Illinois would in fact be smart to consider
> developing an "Illinois Thruway" network of bus
> routes to connect with the various Amtrak lines in
> the state. But then again, this is Illinois we're
> talking about.
>
> niagara484

There's already a Thruway bus from Indianapolis going west to Galesburg, Peoria, and the Quad Cities. I don't see this happening until several buses a dat fill up, and a train becomes necessary. And if they're talking "corridor", then we're talking multiple trains per day on the route, right?

Would make more sense to use the old NKP (NS) line between Bloomington and Peoria for commuter service.

I believe this bus (or is it a van?) was designed to handle some of the potential misconnects between the Cardinal/Zephyr/Chief/Eagle/CNO when one or all of the trains are screwed up. You can drive the bypass route around Chicago much quicker than you can try to bus in or out of Chicago Union Station. It is a win-win, as it saves passenger potentially losing a day, and it saves Amtrak the expenses of hotel accomodations and vouchers for a messed up trip.

We got put off the Chief at Galesburg one time when the crew were informed in advance by CNOC that Hoosier State passengers would have had to have been overnighted in Chicago otherwise. Another time we got dumped off at Galesburg and van took us to Champaign for 59, when we otherwise would not have been able to connect same-day in Chicago.

I don't know of anybody else ever using it for any other reason, but perhaps somebody can comment if they have.

> There's already a Thruway bus from Indianapolis
> going west to Galesburg, Peoria, and the Quad
> Cities.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/14 09:08 by NewRiverGeorge.

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe this bus (or is it a van?) was designed
> to handle some of the potential misconnects
> between the Cardinal/Zephyr/Chief/Eagle/CNO when
> one or all of the trains are screwed up.

It is not a van. It is regularly-scheduled bus service operated by Burlington Trailways. They are now operating a route once operated by Illini-Swallow Bus Lines and off and on by various Trailways affiliates. Although the bus line does not have a route map shown in its website anywhere, they operate linehaul service between Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Galesburg, Bloomington, Indianapolis and other cities in the heartland. They serve Amtrak stations in Indianapolis (its the same smelly, seedy place), Bloomington-Normal, IL and Galesburg, IL and possibly other cities.

There are currently two round-trips daily between Indy and Galesburg. It is already a good way to avoid Chicago and the uncertainty of The Hoosier State.

timecruncher

Remember Iowa Pacific wants the Hoosier State, so they could connect to the Illinois train out of Indianapolis or Louisville. All they have to do is rebuild the Crawfordsville to near Covington portion of the line. With all the millions from frac sand and private car charters, Iowa Pacific can do this.

ep75 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Remember Iowa Pacific wants the Hoosier State, so
> they could connect to the Illinois train out of
> Indianapolis or Louisville. All they have to do is
> rebuild the Crawfordsville to near Covington
> portion of the line. With all the millions from
> frac sand and private car charters, Iowa Pacific
> can do this.


This is news to me. Where did you get that piece of info? And, there'd be no possible way to
connect this cross-Illinois service with anything at Louisville. The Kentucky Cardinal was the last train
to go there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/14 18:10 by sums007.

Here is the link to the thread. Now the dream line to rebuild and connect to the proposed Illinois service was the ex Peoria & Eastern Railroad. If they could get a train back to Louisville, a private operator has a good chance of making it.
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3369469



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/14 20:17 by ep75.

ep75 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here is the link to the thread. Now the dream line
> to rebuild and connect to the proposed Illinois
> service was the ex Peoria & Eastern Railroad. If
> they could get a train back to Louisville, a
> private operator has a good chance of making it.
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3
> 369469

Thanks. In that thread, though, the president of Iowa Pacific stated that he thinks Amtrak should continue to operate the Hoosier State.

I wouldn't believe that for a second. Remember he use to be....a Amtrak manager.LMAO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/14 13:21 by ep75.