WASHINGTON – Senator Dick Durbin met with Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose this week to receive an update on the Chicago-Quad Cities Rail Project, which would establish a passenger rail route running between Chicago and the Quad Cities. Durbin urged Administrator Bose to prioritize the project and ensure that FRA continues to extend federal funding previously secured for the project. Fourteen years ago $177 million in federal funding was set aside for the rail project, but it was delayed for years because former Governor Rauner refused to provide state funding for it. Governor Pritzker renewed the state’s commitment to the project by providing $225 million in state funding in 2019. But since then, the Illinois Department of Transportation and Iowa Interstate have failed to reach an agreement on the infrastructure upgrades needed for the project, which would connect Chicago, Plano, Mendota and Princeton to Moline via existing rail lines. The current funding extension is set to expire in December unless an agreement is made so construction can begin.
“Our state relies on rail. It fuels our economy and ensures connectivity across our vast state,” said Durbin. “I’ve been working with IDOT for nearly 15 years to make the Chicago-Quad Cities Rail Project a reality”
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