CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that an agreement has been reached with the Iowa Interstate Railroad to perform design work for a portion of the route for the new passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline.
Next month, IDOT is planning to begin making improvements to accommodate service on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway portion of the route.
"This agreement is another significant milestone in re-establishing passenger service between two great Illinois cities," said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Erica Borggren. "I would like to thank the Iowa Interstate Railroad, as well as the BNSF, for working with us as the host railroads to deliver a service that will create jobs, spark economic development, provide another travel option and improve the quality of life in so many communities along this line."
The agreement permits the Iowa Interstate Railroad to begin designing the signal system and plan the execution of the track and tie improvements that will allow passenger trains on the 53 miles between Wyanet and Moline. Once the planning work is done later this year and upon agreement between IDOT and the railroad regarding the scope of the project and the responsibilities for maintenance and operations expenses for the service, IDOT and the railroad will determine a construction timeline and start date for service along the entire route between Chicago and Moline.
Construction is scheduled to begin in September at BNSF's Eola Yard in Aurora to facilitate additional passenger trains on the 109 miles between Chicago and Wyanet.
The Chicago-Moline service is made possible by $78 million from Governor Pat Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital program and $177 million in federal funding.
Agreement between IDOT and the railroads will return passenger rail to the Quad Cities for the first time since 1979. Service will begin with two daily round-trips, with stops in LaGrange, Naperville, Plano, Mendota, Princeton and Geneseo, which will receive a new $1.7 million station as part of the project.
In addition to these improvements, Illinois Jobs Now! is providing $5 million toward the new multimodal station in downtown Moline, a project that includes a federal contribution of $10 million and a $1.7 million local match.
Also under Governor Quinn, IDOT has led the multistate effort to utilize $47 million in federal funds from the $177 million grant to purchase new Amtrak locomotives and railcars for the Chicago-Moline corridor.
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