The Iowa Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration and Illinois Department of Transportation, is about to wrap up the second public input portion of the Chicago to Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study. Log on at www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha/ to find out more from this online, self-directed open house meeting, which is active through Monday, May 21, 2012.
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The city of Carbondale may have a chance at grant money to expand parking at the Amtrak station on South Illinois Avenue.
The city council will vote Tuesday on approving a preliminary grant application be submitted to the Delta Regional Authority for up to 80 percent federal funding of the project. A primary cost estimate tabbed the project’s cost at $195,000.
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The Indiana High Speed Rail Association will once again host Joseph C. Szabo, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration on Friday, May 18 at 11:30 AM. The luncheon event will be at the John Anderson Conference Center at Indiana University Northwest, 3400 Broadway. Szabo spoke to some 250 persons at the Gary / Chicago International Airport in January 2010.
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Post Link: http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=53587
Amtrak is picking up speed in Michigan.
After several weeks of service disruptions due to track work on the line, the Wolverine service between Pontiac and Chicago is returning to normal and should even get faster, says the Michigan Department of Transportation.
“There are a few sections that still have 40 mile-per-hour slowdowns, but for the most part the line is back up to speed,” said Janet Foran, MDOT spokeswoman, on Thursday.”This investment is going to pay off in the long run for us.” On May 21, Amtrak will issue new timetables for the Wolverine route and the Port Huron-Chicago Blue Water route, Trains should be able to speed up to 110 miles per hour between Kalamazoo and Porter, Ind.
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Amtrak passengers between Chicago and Detroit will be among those benefiting from a project to alleviate congestion by adding a new track in Michigan to separate the movement of freight and passenger trains.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday that the Federal Railroad Administration is providing a $7.9 million grant for the West Detroit Connection Track project.
Michigan will match that amount. The project is set to break ground later this year.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a final agreement of $15.8 million for the West Detroit Connection Track project that will eliminate congestion for Detroit-area Amtrak passengers by addressing a bottleneck that comes from serving both freight and passenger rail on the same tracks.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration is providing a grant for $7.9 million, which is being matched with another $7.9 million from the State of Michigan. The project is set to break ground in West Detroit later this year.
“President Obama’s bold vision of investing in rail projects like the West Detroit Connection Track will create jobs and grow our economy over the long-term by moving people and goods more quickly and efficiently than ever before,” said Secretary LaHood. “In eliminating a longstanding bottleneck, we are creating capacity to handle future rail demand as our population grows, while strengthening the foundation for economic development across the region.”
Currently both freight and intercity passenger trains make a connection through Bay City Junction. The West Detroit Connection Track project will provide new track to separate freight and passenger train movements. Amtrak’s “Wolverine” service, which provides three daily round trips between Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac, will use the new track. West Detroit Junction is a key link between the Dearborn Station and the Detroit New
Center Station. In 2009, this track moved 444,127 passengers on the Wolverine service.
West Detroit Junction is a key part of the Chicago to Detroit line, which has seen nearly $400 million in federal investments in the state of Michigan under president Obama’s High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program. The line now reaches speeds of 110 mph between Porter, IN and Kalamazoo, MI and will reach 110 mph on 80 percent of the track by 2016.
The Chicago to Detroit line is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Network, which is located in one of five densely populated mega-regions, areas already overwhelmed by congestion and in need of better transportation options. Bringing safe, fast, convenient, affordable high-speed rail to these areas will create jobs, increase economic opportunities and relieve congestion.
“This is yet another example of how federal, state, and local governments, as well as the railroads, are working hard to eliminate rail bottlenecks and improve service for both freight and passenger rail customers,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo.
More than 100 million people call the Midwest region home. Using the Gross Domestic Product as a measure, the Great Lakes-Midwest economic region would be the fifth largest economy if it were its own country.
The Federal Railroad Administration and its 32 state partners are making great progress on High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program-related projects across the country. With $10.1 billion in federal funding, they’re moving forward with 153 projects, laying the foundation for a 21st century passenger rail network.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that Illinois, Indiana and Michigan have agreed to move forward with a comprehensive study that will help determine ways to reduce rail congestion and let trains achieve higher speeds along the Chicago-to-Detroit high-speed rail corridor.
The goal of the study, which will be funded through a $3.2 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and $200,000 each from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Norfolk Southern, is to reduce passenger travel times between Chicago and Detroit and efficiently move freight through one of the nation’s busiest freight rail networks, the congested Chicago to Porter, Ind., segment.
“This is an important step toward achieving higher speeds along the entire Chicago to Detroit rail corridor and improving the flow of freight to the east coast,” said Secretary LaHood. “Eliminating bottlenecks will boost the economy by reducing delays and allow for the freer flow of both people and goods throughout the region.”
An important focus of the study will be reducing congestion by linking a double track passenger main to the 110 mph service at Porter. The study will build on progress Michigan has already made by achieving 110 mph service from Porter to Kalamazoo.
“The comprehensive study will help us establish faster passenger rail service for business and leisure travelers moving between Chicago and Detroit, as well as make freight movements more efficient,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. “In Illinois, we have made high-speed rail and freight infrastructure improvement top priorities, and I am pleased to work with our neighboring states and Secretary LaHood, who understands the importance of providing significantly reduced travel times and promoting economic development through rail improvements.”
“This is an important partnership in our efforts to reinvent Michigan, specifically creating an accelerated rail connection between Detroit and Chicago for both citizens and businesses,” said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. “Relieving congestion will also help the Midwest’s freight industry by better enabling the rapid and efficient movement of manufactured and agricultural products.”
The Chicago to Detroit line is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Network, which is located in one of five densely populated mega-regions, areas already overwhelmed by congestion and in need of better transportation options. Bringing safe, fast, convenient, affordable high-speed rail to these areas will create jobs, increase economic opportunities and relieve congestion.
More than 100 million people call the Midwest region home, with the vast majority of residents living within 500 miles of the Chicago rail hub. Using the Gross Domestic Product as a measure, the Great Lakes-Midwest economic region would be the fifth largest economy if it were its own country.
The Federal Railroad Administration and its 32 state partners are making great progress on High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail projects across the country. With $10.1 billion in federal funding, they’re moving forward with 153 projects, laying the foundation for a 21st century passenger rail network.
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The Iowa Interstate Railroad’s route across the state is the one best suited for new passenger rail service between Chicago and Omaha, a study has determined.
“The preliminary findings have been that (Iowa Interstate) is the route we want to move into,” said Amanda Martin, policy coordinator for the Iowa Department of Transportation’s rail office.
Martin participated in an online press conference this morning announcing early results of the study into Chicago-Omaha passenger rail service.
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U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said he supports regional priorities such as the construction of the Macomb northwest bypass, construction of Ill. 336 between Macomb and Peoria and continued Amtrak improvements.
Speaking at Western Illinois University, LaHood told a large crowd of students and civic leaders that it takes hard work and community support to build the transportation systems that drive the economy. LaHood worked with West-Central Illinois communities on part of those priorities during 14 years in Congress and has been involved at an even higher level during the past three and a half years as transportation secretary.
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