UPDATED 12:30 p.m. | The Trump administration said Monday it will nominate Normal Mayor Chris Koos to serve on Amtrak's board of directors.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., recommended Koos for the position. It requires Senate confirmation. Timing is unclear, but is up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
"Mayor Koos understands the importance of passenger rail to communities in Illinois and across the country," Durbin said in a statement. "He will be an important voice for Illinois and the Midwest in support of growing and protecting Amtrak’s national network, and I look forward to supporting his nomination.”
Uptown Normal is home to one of the busiest Amtrak stations in Illinois. Uptown has benefited from several major federal transportation grants during Koos' tenure as mayor.
Koos said if confirmed, he wants to make sure his vision for the rail service aligns with those of his fellow board members, but he added he wants to see its funding stabilize.
“I think that’s one of the things I’ve always had trouble with Amtrak is that the federal government, depending on the administration that’s in power, kind of puts them on a see-saw of budgeting. One year you’ve got a lot of money, the next year you are being threatened with closure.”
Koos said more stable funding would allow enable Amtrak to do more long-term planning and more equipment and infrastructure upgrades.
“If you have a system that has on-time reliability, has a certain level of amenity with it, be it WiFi on every train, clean, modern seating, you’ll see ridership go up,” Koos said. “The rail cars on the Chicago-to-St. Louis line right now were built in the 1970s.”
Koos said he doesn’t envision Amtrak becoming fully self-supporting, even if comprehensive upgrades attract more people to public transportation.
“What government enterprise is self-sustaining?” Koos asked. “There’s hardly any out there. Governments do things that don’t make money because the private sector won’t do it.”
If confirmed, Koos would not be the first downstate Illinois mayor to serve on Amtrak's board. Former Macomb Mayor Tom Carper is on the board now.
Koos, who has been mayor since 2003, also serves on the advisory board of Transportation for America, an advocacy group of local, regional, and state leaders.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who is the ranking member of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over Amtrak, applauded the nomination.
“Mayor Koos has long advocated for common sense transportation policies, and his views and experience as an Illinois municipal leader will be a welcome addition to this Board," Duckworth said in a statement. "I look forward to supporting his nomination."
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican who represents parts of Bloomington-Normal, also congratulated Koos on the nomination.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the mayor on transportation and infrastructure issues over the years and I’m excited for him to have this new leadership opportunity," Davis said. "He’s helped utilize federal grants to make the Normal Amtrak station the second busiest in Illinois, and I know he will use his knowledge to help Amtrak better serve communities across the country.”
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