Railroad

The Town of Normal is still in watch and wait mode as the Trump administration aggressively cuts programs and federal agency staff.

The bids for the long-awaited underpass project beneath the railroad tracks in Uptown Normal have come back. The low bid is $35.16 million.

Gov. JB Pritzker recently voiced support for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP), a plan that also holds promise for Amtrak service through Bloomington-Normal. The investment in transportation infrastructure would fix several problems at Union Station and connect it to two potential passenger-focused main lines.

The federal government has signed off on higher speed Amtrak passenger trains between Chicago and St. Louis, running through Bloomington-Normal, completing more than three decades of effort to bring high-speed rail to the state and the nation's passenger rail service.

The mayor of Normal said he's had it with lengthy traffic jams caused by freight trains. Chris Koos said this has been an issue before and the Union Pacific Railroad has addressed it, but there has been backsliding.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos would like to see the community develop guidelines for a shovel-ready industrial park, something the Economic Development Council has begun to talk about. But during a WGLT interview on Sound Ideas, he shied away from specifying what the town should provide to make it happen.

The estimated price of the Uptown Underpass Project in Normal could go up by 25% because of inflation.

Life is about to get quieter for residents near one of the main rail lines that cuts through Bloomington.A new train horn quiet zone goes into effect…

Illinois State Police will be out this week issuing tickets and handing out safety literature in a bid to bring down numbers of railroad-crossing deaths…

The new year will be a bit quieter for Normal residents who live near the train tracks.The Town of Normal announced Wednesday it will establish a railroad…