The Chicago Tribune reports that funding for Amtrak routes in Illinois was doubled in the 2007 budget — from $12 million to $24 million — so they’re planning to use that money for “[t]wo additional daily Amtrak roundtrips between Chicago and St. Louis and an extra run each on the Quincy and Carbondale lines….”
I hope the extra trains make it possible for me to take Amtrak down to St. Louis for a Cardinals game and come back the same day.
Even before gas prices started soaring, I would always take the train to Chicago for business meetings and stuff because it was so much cheaper than driving. Parking alone can cost you $20 up there, plus gas and tolls. The train? $30 round trip. And, frankly, it’s the civilized way to travel. I bet adding more routes will increase ridership.
Now, when are we going to get a passenger train to come through Peoria again? We can always re-convert the old Rock Island Depot (aka “The River Station”) back into a train station.
As a fairly new resident of Illinois, I was pretty darn surprised to find that there was no train route between here and Chicago. Peoria, many websites have told me, is the fifth largest city in IL. Chicago is obviously #1, and 2-4 are “suburbs” of Chicago (Aurora is one, I think).
Anyway, the lack of a regular train route between Chicago and the next largest metropolitan area seems problematic to me.
But, then again, I lived in the heart of Seattle for 6 years, and since the movie Singles came out, they still haven’t managed their light rail system. So we aren’t unique, that’s for sure.
Passenger rail would actually be profitable if we adopted a public-private partnership model similar to (I hate to say it) that used in the airline industry. Rail has a huge advantage in the under 500-mile corridors. For Peoria, instead of wasting all that money on a highway that will save only a few minutes, waste a lot of land and gas, and be clogged with trucks, an upgrade to the old Rock Island tracks to allow 140 mph trains (a modest speed they have been doing in Europe for decades, with American technology) would allow for a 1-1/2 hour trip from downtown Peoria to downtown Chicago, even with a few stops included, for a fraction of the cost of flying or driving. It’s a no-brainer. So why isn’t being done??
The Mouse: “It’s a no-brainer. So why isn’t being done??”
$$$$ and far more importantly, freight trains.
We tried that years ago…wasn’t ridership on the Prairie Marksmen below a profitable level, so they pulled it? Of course the location of the station, and the fact it went direct to Chicago instead of say tie in with the Amtrak that ran threw Bloomington/Normal. But I will defer to D Jordan as he knows the ins and outs on rail.
The PRAIRIE MARKSMAN had decent ridership but there were several factors that led to its doscintinuance following the approved 14-month trial period (August 1980 to October 1981).
(1) Despite the depot being close to I-74, many riders depended on public transportion and since no bus service was availabvle, they had to rely on taxis, the fares for which were pretty high for patrons coming from across the river.
(2) The Peoria Journal Star was highly inaccurate in its reporting, which gave the impression that the depot was located in a railroad yard, when in fact it was located along TP&W’s West Main west of the railroad yard. Perosnally, I think the PRAIRIE MARKSMAN would have been successful has it been kept secret from the Peoria Journal Star 😉
(3) The last intercity rail passenger service ended at the end of 1978 and the few Peorians who relied on the Rock Island’s service had found alternatives. Poor publicity from the local paper and a mere 14-month trial period hurt the train’s chances of succeeding.
If a depot were located say along W. Washington St. across from the TZPR tracks from Shopko in East Peoria; the TP&W was upgraded between East Peoria and Chenoa for 79mph passenger train-only speeds (59 mph for freight); CityLink would provide bus connections and at least two roundtrips were provided with departures early AM and midday from respective terminals, then the old PRAIRIE MARKSMAN could be successful in the early 21st Century.
David, as to the reason it is not being done, it isn’t money. The gov’t has plenty of money for what they want. Check the bloated highway budget. And private investment is not out of the question. The areas around depots would become magnets for development.
As to the Prairie Marksman, you are pretty much on the mark, except that fares were intially set unreasonably high, with the intent of depressing ridership. IDOT did not want the train. And, often overlooked, there were few intermediate stops. It was months before they even stopped in Eureka (no depot ever provided) and IDOT was amazed at the ridership. Duh. No other public transportation in that town. What about Washington, or El Paso? No Stop. Neither would have hurt the schudule. The train often arrived in Chenoa early.
“The gov’t has plenty of money for what they want.”
They first have to get it from you and me!
Thanks for reminding me of some other factors in the PRAIRIE MARKSMAN’S demise.