U.S. Department of Transportation

It took more than 30 years to bring 110 mph passenger train service from Chicago to St. Louis. It could take that or longer to get true high-speed rail along the same corridor.

How does society do hard things? In this first part of our new series "Hard Things," WGLT unpacks the generational project that brought faster passenger train service to Illinois.

Technical troubles at major airports can have trickle down effects in smaller facilities like the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. Airport Director Carl Olson said, for instance, cutting the number of flights at Newark because of limited staff capacity can increase ticket prices and suppress demand for travel down the chain.

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

Amtrak trains through Bloomington-Normal are getting later and later. A report of on-time performance during the last budget year shows a four-year decline of trains arriving within a half hour of the scheduled time.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen said his success rate in getting funding for projects in the district this year is way above average compared with other U.S. congressman.

The federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity [RAISE] grant program has approved $675,000 to plan and design the final nine miles of the 47-mile trail.

Connect Transit may change how much it charges for rides on the Bloomington-Normal bus system and modernize its fare boxes. A proposal will go board members at their February meeting. If approved, the draft package would be put out for the public to offer input before any formal adoption.

The Town of Normal’s original grant application for the Uptown underpass included a long list of benefits—including enhanced safety for pedestrians,…