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I took Bill Dennis’s advice and took a look at WCBU’s new website. Right on the front page is this story (reprinted here in its entirety because it’s short and I couldn’t find a permalink):
PORT DISTRICT STUDIEDPeoria – 11/3/05The effort to make the Peoria region a hub of shipping has identified thirteen possible locations for development. A study from the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission looks at everything from the strength of air, water, rail, and highway transportation in the area to the kinds of goods that would likely come through a port. The study suggests 13 places in the six county region that could be developed into a port. It also looks at the constraints that could hamper such development efforts. They include having a limited number of interstate highways, and secondary roads that may not be adequate for major shipping corridors. It also includes restrictions on developing wetlands, flood plains, and other federally protected land. The study also points out limited rail capacity in the region. The Heart of Illinois Port District, now called TRANSport, will use the study to analyze the market, and eventually create a business plan for port developments. Leaders of the effort project if successful, the port district could create thousands of jobs in the area in the next ten to twenty years.
I would like to see this study, but I can’t find it anywhere on the web. Specifically, I’m intrigued by the “limited rail capacity in the region.” I wonder how they arrived at that conclusion. And I wonder what impact closing down the Kellar Branch to make it a walking trail has on that conclusion. As regular readers of this blog know, severing the Kellar Branch’s connection to the riverfront means Pioneer Park loses access to seven major rail lines — it will only have access to Union Pacific once the tracks are removed. Granted, it’s only one area, but what does it say about Peoria’s commitment to bringing in higher-paying jobs when it won’t even maintain existing competitive rail service in one of its prime growth areas?
What this study does, among other things, is show that rail service is not some antiquated, 19th-century mode of transportation. It’s not only viable, but essential to cities that want to attract business and be a “hub for shipping.” And if our capacity is limited, it’s only because the city has not made it a priority. There’s not a whole lot Peoria can do about lack of highways or restrictions on developing federally-protected land. But rail capacity we have, and should be exploiting.Â
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