Bloomington-Normal to Peoria passenger rail study gets federal grant

The Department of Transportation awarded $160,000 in funding to study the feasibility of establishing passenger rail service from Bloomington-Normal, which is currently served by Amtrak service from Chicago to St. Louis - Peoria. "Connecting Peoria to the high-speed rail service in Bloomington-Normal opens up new possibilities for businesses and travelers from Chicago to St. Louis," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. The Amtrak station in Normal is the busiest in Illinois outside of Chicago and a considerable amount of that ridership is from the Peoria area. According to the Economic Development Council of Central Illinois, over 5,000 people travel from the Peoria area to Bloomington-Normal to work on a daily basis, and over 2,500 travel in the reverse direction. It has been estimated that more than 95 percent of these commuters travel alone in a single-occupancy vehicle. Having a study investigating passenger rail options is the first step to better connecting these two hubs and reduce travel times and congestion while improving air quality in the region.