It's a time of challenge and opportunity for regional transportation networks. That's the takeaway from a roundtable discussion hosted by Illinois congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Thursday at Uptown Station in Normal.
The Uptown Station Amtrak stop is the second busiest in the state, with 10 passenger trains a day coming through on the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor. Normal Mayor Chris Koos said a couple more would be a big help because frequency of service gives users more options.
"We hope that we can get one to two more trains a day. I think this is something long term. There are some holes in that network which we think could be filled that would really dramatically increase ridership," said Koos.
Adding daily trains depends on improvements in Chicago, with Krishnamoorthi touting a rebuild and redesign of Union Station and the tracks around it.
"The Chips Project is something that has attracted our attention and something that we are absolutely committed to. If we can enhance its ability to handle trains and ridership, that will help all the other stations, like yours," said Krishnamoorthi.
Amtrak trains running between just north of Joliet south to Alton can go at higher speeds than most passenger trains outside the northeast corridor of the U.S. — up to 110 mph. Krishnamoorthi said he hopes true high-speed rail —150-200 mph — someday will make the corridor even more attractive for business and leisure travel.
"I think that high-speed rail has to be where we go to really enhance the experience, at some point. When can we make that leap and what would be required to do so? And can Illinois be the place we actually showcase this and get people excited?" said Krishnamoorthi.
It's not easy, though.
Koos sits on the national board of Amtrak. He noted the federal government spent $1.5 billion on the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor over a couple decades just to allow 110 mph service. That involved rebuilding the entire rail bed and beefing up grade crossing gates.
True high-speed rail would require closing 200 to 300 grade crossings along the corridor because trains would run so fast, crossing gates wouldn't assure safety under current conditions. Koos said high-speed routes are easier and more cost effective to build in California, near Las Vegas, and between Dallas and Houston, adding true high-speed rail for the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor would come well after those other corridors.
The service requires long stretches of uninterrupted track. Anything less than 100 miles would not be cost effective, said Koos, noting high-speed rail can be a backbone for some long-distance routes, but shorter connecting routes in the network matter more.
"But more important is on-time performance," Koos said. "This has probably been the stumbling block for Amtrak since day one. People who are taking the train for recreation, or more importantly, for business need to know if their train is supposed to arrive at 10:00, that it arrives at 10:00 or 10:05, not 11:00 or 11:30."
Freight traffic
Amtrak on-time performance suffers because of freight rail traffic interference. Since Amtrak was created in the 1970s, freight railroads have never consistently abided by an agreement to give preference to passenger trains. Even an attempt to improve things on the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor by building dual tracks to hold freighters as Amtrak rolls by, has failed to move the needle because rail companies now use trains that are too long for the rebuilt sidings, he said.
This is not to demonize freight lines because they are crucial for America's economic health, said Koos. Fans of passenger rail often point to Europe as an example of how to make the trains run on time. Koos said every system has tradeoffs.
"We had a meeting years ago with the CEO of Union Pacific. He said the United States has the model freight rail system, and that Europe has the model passenger rail system. So, how do you get to the middle point on that?" said Koos.
Another challenge for regional transportation in Illinois is how Amtrak and commuter train entities link together.
State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, said there's a big red ink moment coming next spring in the General Assembly.
"What we're talking about is this fiscal funding cliff especially up in Chicago trying to figure out what is going to be done with RTA, PACE, and the CTA. Connect Transit [in Bloomington-Normal] will also be part of those talks," said Chung.
The reason for this fiscal cliff at many transit organizations is federal pandemic recovery money that went to transit has ended and passenger traffic hasn't come all the way back to pre-pandemic levels. It may not do so for a long time because the rise of hybrid work patterns reduces the number of days per week people commute.
Krishnamoorthi said there are limits to the number of places to look to fill the gap.
"The fare box is a tough place to collect revenue given that the ridership is still not at pre-pandemic levels," he said.
Some stakeholders suggest merging Chicago area transit agencies to create efficiencies. Chung said leaders and transit agencies have resisted the notion.
"Ridership and people, the general public, seem to be more open to consolidating some of these entities," she said, adding transit funding and the role of the state will be a major area of debate next year.
One looming improvement to the Bloomington-Normal Amtrak hub will have spin off impacts. After years of planning, the town will soon open bids on the Uptown underpass underneath the tracks. It will make development of eight acres south of the tracks more attractive.
Mike Raikes, the business manager and financial agent for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union local in Bloomington-Normal, said it also means there is an immediate economic impact — jobs.
"We're talking about operators, electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, laborers, cement masons, teamsters. That is going to create a nice-sized job force," said Raikes.
Krishnamoorthi is co-author of the law funding vocational career and technical education. That law expires next year, and Krishnamoorthi said updating and reauthorizing that law is important to make sure there are enough workers to build projects like the Uptown underpass.
