The massive influx of federal money for Amtrak from the infrastructure law will help the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor — even though much of the rolling stock on the corridor has been replaced over the last decade, says Normal Mayor Chris Koos,a nominee to serve on the board of the passenger rail system.
Koos said the measure will pay for new cars on the long-distance Texas Eagle route. It will take a long time though, perhaps a decade.
"There is really only one major manufacturer of rolling stock for locomotives and passenger cars in the United States and that is Siemens," said Koos. "And they are involved in transit, too. Their ability to address that market is very difficult and it is going to put a long timeline on replacement."
Speaking on WGLT's Sound Ideas, Koos said previous rolling stock upgrades on the Chicago-to-St. Louis route accommodated high-speed rail. Amtrak recently received federal approval to operate at the 110 mph speed that Koos said will make it faster to take the train from Bloomington-Normal to Chicago or St. Louis, depending on the destination.
"The Texas Eagle is a long-distance train. Chicago to San Antonio, Texas. Those cars are mostly from the '70s and '80s and are going well beyond their useful life," said Koos.
Amtrak is receiving $66 billion to spend over the next five years on improving passenger rail in the United States. Koos moderated a panel discussion on Amtrak changes at the recent U.S. Conference of Mayors that included Stephen Gardner, Amtrak CEO.
“Steven made the point that dollar amount is more than Amtrak has received from the federal government since the start of Amtrak in the '70s, to date,” said Koos.
There will be infrastructure upgrades in the northeast corridor of the U.S.
“There are rails and tunnels that date back to the 1860s and 1870s. It’s about time to replace those,” said Koos.
He said other places in the U.S. will need increased connections for communities that do not have good service, such as a route from Cleveland to Cincinnati through Columbus and Dayton, Ohio.
He said it’s possible Rockford and the Quad Cities in Illinois also could be connected to the national network.
Gun incidents
The number of gun incidents in the town of Normal rose 79% last year. The number of weapons offenses rose by 59%. Koos said that's similar to many cities in the U.S. and it will be a difficult problem to address.
"There has been a pipeline of illegal guns coming from states that have looser sales requirements than we do. There have been bulk buys being done in gun stores in the south with the intent of bringing them north and selling them to the youth," said Koos.
The town can react to these conditions by finding the paths of illegal sales, and being tougher on those who act out with guns, but the real policy changes need to happen at the federal level, said Koos.
He said firearm buyback programs are a good idea, but don't attract the people causing the gun violence problem, adding the issue was a major topic at the mayors conference.
Weapons offenses have subsided somewhat during the first five months of 2023. Police department figures indicated a nearly 43% drop from this time last year. The data also showed weapons offenses in early 2023 remained 20% above the five-year average.
Marijuana sales regulation
Koos said he thinks the town council will pass tighter regulation of marijuana dispensaries, following last week’s work session. The mayor said council members appeared to embrace an ordinance dictating 1,500 feet of separation between dispensaries even though that doesn't seem like much of a restriction.
"It's not, but when you tie that in to other limits on getting close to churches, schools, daycare centers, and residential areas it does tighten it up a little bit," said Koos.
There is a state law similar to that. Koos said other municipalities in central Illinois have adopted that provision with the idea that if the state were to loosen the restriction, there would still be local regulation.
Koos said he's not sure council members have indicated a clear direction whether to cap the number of marijuana dispensaries in Normal. Bloomington's limit is two. He guessed the council might get behind a limit of four. Three have been approved by the town so far.
Koos said there may either be another work session or a lengthy public discussion by the council later this summer when policy suggestions are available. He said he prefers to let the marketplace decide the number of dispensaries.
“That's a personal opinion. Other people are more concerned about the number of licenses we have. I'm probably not at the age or in the social group that would pay a whole lot of attention to that. But it just doesn't seem like it's been a big issue in the community at this point,” said Koos.
