MOLINE, ILLINOIS (May 5, 2025) — MetroLINK — Channel Cat will host a ribbon-cutting on Friday, May 23, 2025, 10AM, to celebrate their Thirtieth Anniversary and the opening of the 2025 season! The ribbon-cutting will be held at the John Deere Commons Dock, 1515 River Dr, Moline, Illinois.
History
In 1994, River Action, a local non-profit group dedicated to fostering environmental, economic, and cultural vitality of the Mississippi River and its riverfront in the Quad Cities region, received a $25,000 grant from the Riverboat Development Authority to conduct a feasibility study of a water taxi on the Mississippi River.
A committee was formed that included River Action, city planners from the three major cities — Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois, the local transit authority (MetroLINK), a Riverboat captain, a retired Coast Guard employee, and a local non-gaming riverboat company, the Celebration Belle.
In lieu of moving forward with a planning study, the committee proactively purchased an aluminum pontoon boat with limited seating and began planning for service. Initial talks with the riverfront cities in the upper pool of the Mississippi began.
Over the next nine months the committee worked on the design and construction of the boat, scheduling, docking, personnel, and garnering community support.
A contest was held to name the boat, and a professor at Scott Community College had the idea to call the boat the “Channel Cat.” A local marketing firm designed the logo, and St Ambrose University developed the marketing plan.
On July 4 weekend, 1995, the boat was launched.
River Action operated the service for three years before asking MetroLINK to own and operate the service as a public transit option.
At that time the three bridges in the area that connect the two states were in different phases of repair or reconstruction.
This was causing traffic congestion and delays for people to get back and forth to work. It was an opportunity for MetroLINK to provide passenger ferryboat service to provide an alternative mode of transportation to cross the Mississippi.
MetroLINK researched the possibility of obtaining Ferry Boat Discretionary (FBD) funding availability for passenger river-crossing. A grant application was completed and MetroLINK was awarded a 1.2-million-dollar grant to upgrade the boat. MetroLINK purchased two passenger ferry boats (later a third was purchased) to expand the service.
The boats are covered, open air 47-foot, 24-net ton military-transport barges, with an aluminum hull, a deck, bench seating for 49 passengers, and room for seven bicycles. Each Channel Cat is powered by two 250 horsepower John Deere engines using B20 Bio-diesel fuel and is fully ADA accessible.
A local riverboat company is contracted to provide Coast Guard Certified Boat Captains and deckhands.
The four unique landing locations offer a variety of businesses and restaurants to visit along the bi-state riverfront. With a fifth landing location coming soon! Cities served include Moline and East Moline, Illinois, and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa.
For more information, please visit Channel Cat.
