Chicago to St. Louis line receives $186M from Florida’s rejected HSR Funds

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $186 million in high-speed rail funding to finance track and other improvements on the Chicago to St. Louis corridor between Dwight and Joliet, Ill. The U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congressional Appropriators that they have reprogrammed $400 million of the $2 billion in funding that was rejected by the governor of Florida. "Illinois will be able to use this funding to upgrade an important segment of the Chicago to St. Louis corridor," said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a co-chair and founding member of the Bi-Cameral High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus. "Improvements to this route will improve on-time performance, increase travel speeds and create jobs that our state badly needs. U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) said, "High-speed rail projects like this one will ensure that Illinois remains at the center of the nation's infrastructure network, attracting more jobs and making us more economically competitive." "Today's announcement is an important step toward faster trains and even better rail service on the route between Chicago and St. Louis, ultimately making Illinois the Midwest's hub for high-speed rail," Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. "We are committed to quickly turning federal investment in rail into jobs and economic development across the state. This latest award is another example of our ongoing efforts to lead the nation in development of high-speed rail." Last month, Durbin and Kirk led a group of Illinois Congressional Delegation members in expressing support for Illinois' application for the federal funding for high-speed rail projects that was rejected by the governor of Florida. In their letter to the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, the members stressed the importance of the Chicago to St. Louis route as the backbone of the Midwest passenger rail system.