Passenger Trains > Amtrak Chicago - Quad Cities funding release request

Democratic U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos is asking Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to release previously approved state funding for a Chicago-to-Quad Cities Amtrak line.
In a letter to the governor, the Democratic congresswoman from the Quad Cities area said she has met with business leaders, elected officials and families across central and western Illinois.
 “In these meetings, I have heard from countless people how important it is to follow through on the promise of connecting the Quad Cities and Chicago with passenger rail service,” Bustos wrote.

Bustos also said the federal government has already provided an extension for the state to take advantage of federal funds for this project, but it expires June 30.
“For the sake of our transportation system and our economy, I hope you will not allow these funds to expire without bringing their benefits to bear in the state of Illinois,” she wrote.

The governor’s office said the project remains “under review” after an executive order Rauner signed last year froze grants and public works projects as part of a comprehensive look at state spending.
Passenger rail service between Chicago and the Quad Cities ended in 1978. (Rick Pearson)

​Chicago Tribune source
 

So refresh my memory.  Is this the service that was to run on the BNSF Mendota Sub with a new switch at Wyanet, IL to access IAIS up to Moline?

sums007 Wrote:
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> So refresh my memory.  Is this the service that
> was to run on the BNSF Mendota Sub with a new
> switch at Wyanet, IL to access IAIS up to Moline?

Pretty much.

What is truly disappointing is the lack of seamless ground transportation connectivity for the several hundred thousand residents living between Omaha, Des Moines, Quad Cities and Chicago.

Here are potential major stops between OMA and CUS that provide seamless Amtrak connectivity to the east coast; the south; and west coast of the USA, shown with the number of residents within 5 miles of a rail station:

Elmhurst IL.                     150,000 residents (UP West Line)
West Chicago, IL.            150,000 residents (UP West Line)
DeKalb/Rochelle, IL.          60,000 residents (UP West Line)
Quad Cities, IL/IA.           400,000 residents
Cedar Rapids, IA.            129,000 residents
Iowa City, IA.                     72,000 residents
Des Moines, IA.                210,000 residents

Why is it that the transportation solution for many of the residents along the OMA - CUS corridor, providing access to the balance of America; is either a bus ride, or a regional air ticket charge of several hundred dollars and more?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/16 09:57 by NYC4096.

would this funding include NEW locomotives to pull these additional trains?

66

The real question is where are additional cars to provide the service?

NYC4096 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is truly disappointing is the lack of
> seamless ground transportation connectivity for
> the several hundred thousand residents living
> between Omaha, Des Moines, Quad Cities and
> Chicago.
>
> Here are potential major stops between OMA and CUS
> that provide seamless Amtrak connectivity to the
> east coast; the south; and west coast of the USA,
> shown with the number of residents within 5 miles
> of a rail station:
>
> Elmhurst IL.                    
> 150,000 residents (UP West Line)
> West Chicago, IL.            150,000
> residents (UP West Line)
> DeKalb/Rochelle, IL.          60,000
> residents (UP West Line)
> Quad Cities, IL/IA.           400,000
> residents
> Cedar Rapids, IA.            129,000
> residents
> Iowa City, IA.                 
>    72,000 residents
> Des Moines, IA.              
>  210,000 residents
>
> Why is it that the transportation solution for
> many of the residents along the OMA - CUS
> corridor, providing access to the balance of
> America; is either a bus ride, or a regional air
> ticket charge of several hundred dollars and more?

New York City population density is 27,000 per square mile. But 410,000 people live within five miles of a proposed Quad Cities Amtrak station?? Admittedly it's been close to fifteen years since I was last there so it may have grown in the interim but I cant remember the two metropolitan areas being very similar. Doesn't Amtrak have 'seamless ground connectivity' in Galesburg anyway?

I suppose locos and cars cascaded off the Charger and the eventual N-S orders.
Iowa seems content to be a highway state like Ohio though.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I suppose locos and cars cascaded off the Charger
> and the eventual N-S orders.
> Iowa seems content to be a highway state like Ohio
> though.
Yes and no.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they paid BNSF to put in 2 or three universal crossovers, east of Creston, between Osceola and Ottumwa and between Ottumwa and Burlington.  There's also a new one between Burlington and Cameron. 

NYC4096 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is truly disappointing is the lack of
> seamless ground transportation connectivity for
> the several hundred thousand residents living
> between Omaha, Des Moines, Quad Cities and
> Chicago.
>
> Here are potential major stops between OMA and CUS
> that provide seamless Amtrak connectivity to the
> east coast; the south; and west coast of the USA,
> shown with the number of residents within 5 miles
> of a rail station:
>
> Elmhurst IL.                    
> 150,000 residents (UP West Line)
> West Chicago, IL.            150,000
> residents (UP West Line)
> DeKalb/Rochelle, IL.          60,000
> residents (UP West Line)
> Quad Cities, IL/IA.           400,000
> residents
> Cedar Rapids, IA.            129,000
> residents
> Iowa City, IA.                 
>    72,000 residents
> Des Moines, IA.              
>  210,000 residents
>
> Why is it that the transportation solution for
> many of the residents along the OMA - CUS
> corridor, providing access to the balance of
> America; is either a bus ride, or a regional air
> ticket charge of several hundred dollars and more?

There's no direct rail connection between the IAIS at Moline, Ill., and the UP west line (former CN&W). And UP would have kittens at the thought of passenger trains on the former C&NW.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NYC4096 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What is truly disappointing is the lack of
> > seamless ground transportation connectivity for
> > the several hundred thousand residents living
> > between Omaha, Des Moines, Quad Cities and
> > Chicago.
> >
> > Here are potential major stops between OMA and
> CUS
> > that provide seamless Amtrak connectivity to
> the
> > east coast; the south; and west coast of the
> USA,
> > shown with the number of residents within 5
> miles
> > of a rail station:
> >
> > Elmhurst IL.      
>              
> > 150,000 residents (UP West Line)
> > West Chicago, IL.            150,000
> > residents (UP West Line)
> > DeKalb/Rochelle, IL.          60,000
> > residents (UP West Line)
> > Quad Cities, IL/IA.           400,000
> > residents
> > Cedar Rapids, IA.            129,000
> > residents
> > Iowa City,
> IA.                 
> >    72,000 residents
> > Des Moines, IA.              
> >  210,000 residents
> >
> > Why is it that the transportation solution for
> > many of the residents along the OMA - CUS
> > corridor, providing access to the balance of
> > America; is either a bus ride, or a regional
> air
> > ticket charge of several hundred dollars and
> more?
>
> There's no direct rail connection between the IAIS
> at Moline, Ill., and the UP west line (former
> CN&W). And UP would have kittens at the thought of
> passenger trains on the former C&NW.

I looked at an Iowa rail map when I saw this topic earlier today just to confirm my hunches.  If you were to route a train from Chicago to Omaha on the UP (C&NW), you pick up West Chicago, Dekalb and Cedar Rapids but miss the Quad Cities, Iowa City and Des Moines.  Go via IAIS (CRI&P) and you get the Quad Cities, Iowa City and Des Moines but you miss the other cities above and you'd be plowing a massive amount of money into upgrades for sustained 79 mph operation.  A hybrid of those would involve scooting down the CIC from the UP in Cedar Rapids to the IAIS around S. Amana to add Des Moines, again at prohibitive cost.

Or you can do what Amtrak does and use the BNSF (CB&Q) across Iowa which misses all the population centers save Burlington!

niagara484

Well, I live in Illinois and I hope Gov. Rauner holds his ground and does not frund any such service.  The state is a financial disaster.

Anyway, it's not an ordeal to take a bus to connect with Amtrak.  If you're too good to use a bus then you're on your own as far as I'm concerned.

Air fares to smaller cities on regional jets are not always pricey.

For example, I'm flying Sacramento-Pocatello (Idaho) on Delta in June, and our tickets cost less than flying just to Salt Lake City...even though we have to change planes there.  I'm informed airlines frequently charge a premium price in markets they serve with nonstop flights, like SMF-SLC.

All of this is moot anyway because ever since the IAIS found out they would be the ones paying to maintain the track to Class IV standards after the upgrade they refused to let the project go any farther.

Posted from Android

That is absolutely true.  Once you add a stop, air prices are much, much lower.

reindeerflame Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Air fares to smaller cities on regional jets are
> not always pricey.
>
> For example, I'm flying Sacramento-Pocatello
> (Idaho) on Delta in June, and our tickets cost
> less than flying just to Salt Lake City...even
> though we have to change planes there.  I'm
> informed airlines frequently charge a premium
> price in markets they serve with nonstop flights,
> like SMF-SLC.

chendermi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is absolutely true.  Once you add a stop,
> air prices are much, much lower.
>
> reindeerflame Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Air fares to smaller cities on regional jets
> are
> > not always pricey.
> >
> > For example, I'm flying Sacramento-Pocatello
> > (Idaho) on Delta in June, and our tickets cost
> > less than flying just to Salt Lake City...even
> > though we have to change planes there.  I'm
> > informed airlines frequently charge a premium
> > price in markets they serve with nonstop
> flights,
> > like SMF-SLC.

The stop usually allows a change to another airline to take place. Monopoly markets almost always have higher fares than markets with even a little competition.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> chendermi Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That is absolutely true.  Once you add a stop,
> > air prices are much, much lower.
> >
> > reindeerflame Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Air fares to smaller cities on regional jets
> > are
> > > not always pricey.
> > >
> > > For example, I'm flying Sacramento-Pocatello
> > > (Idaho) on Delta in June, and our tickets
> cost
> > > less than flying just to Salt Lake
> City...even
> > > though we have to change planes there.  I'm
> > > informed airlines frequently charge a premium
> > > price in markets they serve with nonstop
> > flights,
> > > like SMF-SLC.
>
> The stop usually allows a change to another
> airline to take place. Monopoly markets almost
> always have higher fares than markets with even a
> little competition.

I'm just amused that I can get to a small market like Pocatello (served by just two (!) flights on weekends) for about $115 each way.  The airport's website, by the way, is ecstatic about increased service ("we're getting our third flight back in 2016").