High-speed rail project to continue through December 23

Improvements supporting future high-speed rail on the Chicago-St. Louis corridor north of Springfield will continue to cause the daily Amtrak Lincoln Service trains to originate and terminate in Bloomington/Normal through December 10 and again December 16 to December 23. The work on the Chicago-St. Louis route will also cause the Chicago-San Antonio Amtrak Texas Eagle to detour without other scheduled stops between Chicago and St. Louis. In most cases alternate transportation will be provided. Despite the detours, ridership on the corridor has continued to be strong. During October and November, 97,407 passengers rode Lincoln Service trains, an increase of almost 14 percent from the same time in 2009. Union Pacific will be installing concrete ties and track switches related to this high-speed rail endeavor. The Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail corridor is the first high-speed rail project in the country to begin construction.