Illinois agreement advances work on Chicago-to-St. Louis Corridor

Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig said that a historic public-private partnership agreement on high-speed rail development is in place to bring Illinois one giant step closer to achieving high-speed passenger service between Chicago and St. Louis by 2014.

Governor Pat Quinn, U.S.
Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood together
praised the signing of the historic Cooperative Agreement by the federal
government, state government, Union Pacific and Amtrak as a crucial advance in
the development of a planned high-speed passenger rail network that will serve
Illinois and the Midwest region.

"Clearly, the leadership,
perseverance and commitment of Governor Quinn, Senator Durbin, and our private
sector partners, has vaulted Illinois into the lead on the development of
high-speed rail," Secretary Hannig said. "This announcement is about more than
just an historic achievement for Illinois and the Midwest. It is a celebration
of the kind of partnership and vision that is creating jobs now and providing
needed access to a crucial regional transportation alternative."

In September 2010,
Governor Quinn announced that Illinois had become the first state in the nation
to begin high-speed rail construction through an initial agreement to upgrade
90 miles of track between Alton and Lincoln. With the full Cooperative
Agreement now in place, construction will continue in early spring from just
south of Lincoln to Dwight. This phase of work is expected to conclude next
fall.

The next step would
then be the installation of new, enhanced grade crossing warning protection.
The public can expect to enjoy its first taste of 110 mile-per-hour train
service when a 20-mile segment between Dwight and Pontiac is completed in 2012.
Procurement of new cars and locomotives, as well as station upgrades, will be
other facets of the project completed under the Cooperative Agreement.

The Cooperative Agreement
also outlines current plans for 110-mph high-speed rail service upon the
completion of the construction that began in September. The agreement calls for
a total of five daily round trips between Chicago and St. Louis, including
three daily high-speed round trips in the initial 2014 schedule – and confirms
on-time performance expectations of at least 80 percent for the service.
Expected reductions in travel time of as much as 48 minutes between Chicago and
St. Louis are also noted in the agreement, shortening the trip between the two
cities to as little as 4 hours, 32 minutes. Amtrak operates passenger rail
service along the route in cooperation with Union Pacific, which owns the
track.

"Our priority in
working out this agreement was to protect Union Pacific’s ability to provide
the exceptional freight service our customers need and expect, while helping
public agencies invest in improved passenger service," said Jim Young,
Union Pacific chairman and chief executive officer. "This agreement allows
us to deliver on those customer commitments."