Quad Cities
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusPlanned
LocaleIllinois
First service2024 (planned)
Current operator(s)Amtrak
Route
TerminiChicago, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
Stops8
Distance travelled162 miles (261 km)
Service frequencyTwice-daily
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)BNSF, IAIS
Route map
Dist.
 Station
0 mi
0 km
 Chicago
Metra
14 mi
23 km
 La Grange Metra
28 mi
45 km
 Naperville Metra
52 mi
84 km
 Plano
83 mi
134 km
 Mendota
104 mi
167 km
 Princeton
Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg,
California Zephyr, Southwest Chief
142 mi
229 km
 Geneseo (proposed)
175 mi
282 km
 Moline

The Quad Cities is a planned Amtrak Illinois Service intercity passenger train that will operate between Chicago and Moline in the US state of Illinois. The train will duplicate the route and stations of the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr between Chicago and Wyanet using track owned by BNSF. On the Wyanet–Moline segment, which will include a station at Geneseo, the train will use track owned by Iowa Interstate Railroad.[1]

History

Originally, the Rock Island Railroad provided passenger service in the Quad Cities via the Quad Cities Rocket train. The railroad initially declined to hand passenger operations over to Amtrak, and service to Chicago continued until December 31, 1978.[2]

In 2008, United States Senators Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Dick Durbin and Barack Obama of Illinois sent a letter to Amtrak asking them to begin plans to bring rail service to the Quad Cities.[3] In October 2010, a $230 million federal fund was announced that will bring Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, with a new line running from Moline to Chicago. They had hoped to have the line completed in 2015, and to offer two daily round trips to Chicago.[4] In December 2011, the federal government awarded $177 million in funding for the Amtrak connection.[5]

In 2015, Illinois Republican governor Bruce Rauner announced a spending freeze that placed both the proposed train service and the Black Hawk to Dubuque, Iowa, under review by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).[6] After being on hold for over a year, IDOT moved forward with the project in order to prevent losing the $177 million in federal funding for the passenger service.[7]

In July 2019, a new transportation bill was passed by the Illinois state legislature, supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker, with $225 million was appropriated to begin this service.[8] In its 2020–2025 service plan, Amtrak forecast that the Chicago–Moline route will begin in fiscal year 2024 and attract 165,600 riders that year.[9]

In February 2023, State Senator Mike Halpin, State Representative Gregg Johnson, and Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati asked IDOT and Amtrak to request intervention from the Surface Transportation Board against the Iowa Interstate Railroad for holding up the project.[10]

In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted an application by IDOT to enter the Chicago–Moline route into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the route for future federal funding.[11]

Route and stops

The entire route is in Illinois.

Town/City Station Connections
ChicagoChicago Union StationAmtrak: Blue Water, Cardinal, Capitol Limited, California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Hiawatha Service, Illini, Lake Shore Limited, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, Saluki, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle, Wolverine, Amtrak Thruway
CTA Buses: 1, 7, 14, 19, 20, X20, X28, 56, 60, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 151, 156, 157, 192
Megabus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7
Metra: North Central Service, Milwaukee District/North Line, Milwaukee District/West Line, BNSF Railway Line, Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service
La GrangeLa GrangeMetra: BNSF Railway Line
Pace: 302, 330, 331
NapervilleNapervilleAmtrak: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief
Metra: BNSF Railway Line
Pace: 530, 676, 677, 678, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 714, 722, 781
PlanoPlano
MendotaMendotaAmtrak: Southwest Chief
PrincetonPrincetonAmtrak: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief
GeneseoGeneseo
MolineMolineAmtrak Thruway
Greyhound Lines
Burlington Trailways
Quad Cities MetroLINK

References

  1. ↑ "Chicago to Quad Cities Map". IllinoisRail.org.
  2. ↑ Glischinski, Steve (2007). Regional Railroads of the Midwest. Voyageur Press. p. 77. ISBN 9781610604956.
  3. ↑ Coulter, Melissa (June 6, 2008). "Ready to trade wheels for rails". Quad-City Times. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ Tibbetts, Ed (October 25, 2010). "Quad-City rail project to get $230 million". Quad-City Times. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ Pulliam, John R. (December 15, 2011). "$177M earmarked for QC-Chicago rail". The Register-Mail. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ Simmons, Shane (January 25, 2015). "Gov. Rauner's spending freeze results in 'review' of Quad City Amtrak project". WQAD-TV. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ Timmons, Eric (June 21, 2016). "Illinois commits to Chicago-Moline passenger rail". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ Ketz, Jonathan (October 23, 2019). "Rail group celebrates 'big win' for Amtrak line from QC to Chicago". WQAD.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Amtrak Five-Year Service Line Plans: Fiscal Years 2020-2025" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 71, 150. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  10. ↑ O'Neill, Michelle (February 27, 2023). "Chicago to Moline Passenger Rail Advocates Push for Federal Intervention". WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ "FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections" (PDF). railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration. December 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
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