IA: Quad-Cities leaders applaud passage of Illinois transit bill with downstate rail funding

Illinois' $1.5 billion mass transit bill passed in the early hours Friday includes funding for downstate Illinois rail service, which could help bring passenger rail service to the Quad-Cities.

The bill includes $475 million for downstate rail projects that communities can apply to. The Quad-Cities has been advocating for a Moline- Chicago passenger rail for a little over two decades. Once funds become available, the Quad-Cities can apply for money through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The bulk of the bill, and of the $1.5 billion, is dedicated to Chicago-area transit.

Illinois state Rep. Gregg Johnson, D- East Moline, and Illinois Sen. Mike Halpin, D- Rock Island, were able to help secure funding for downstate intercity rail projects during this week's veto session.

"Today we can breathe a little easier about the opportunities and prospects our residents and community will have in the coming years," Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said during a Friday news conference in downtown Moline. "We will no longer be a metro area at risk of being isolated economically, like a rail car slowly detaching from the train of progress. It is truly our community's time to shine."

Rock Island County Board Chair Richard Brunk said that "the passing of this legislation brings us to the threshold to make rail service happen."

There is still much to be done, Brunk added, saying that there are discussions to be had, routes to be determined, and so on.

But the project still remains contingent on cooperation with Iowa Interstate Railroad, or IAIS.

Halpin said he didn't want downstate communities left behind in the new transit bill, and come Wednesday, it did not appear there would be a transit bill passed during the veto session. But it got done, through intense negotiations, he said.

But the work isn't done, Halpin added.

"We need to make sure that the Governor's Office and the Department of Transportation take those next steps to obligate this funding and appropriate this funding and take steps to enter into the agreement with Iowa Interstate Railroad, and start planning to make sure this construction happens," Halpin said.

It is going to take work, and it is going to take time, he said.

"It's not over yet, but we're a giant step forward from where we've been in the past," Halpin said.

There is already some funding set aside for the Moline to Chicago rail project.

Johnson said there is $225 million in state funds in place that is being held specifically for the Quad-Cities' project and that those funds are held in the budget every year.

Halpin said that no one can predict when it could all come together. There has been difficulty reaching an agreement with the Iowa Interstate Railroad. But the money in the new transit bill gives the Quad-Cities a better bargaining tool.

"With the money added by this bill, we don't have to necessarily wait for their (Iowa Interstate) okay," Halpin said. "We now have more leverage to get this done under existing federal law. It's closer to reality."

Rayapati said that the reason why rail service from the Quad-Cities to Chicago has taken so long has been the problem of getting to a funding number that Iowa Interstate would agree to. But with the new funding, she said, "Now, it's all down to agreements that have to be in place to make it a functional line."

Johnson said that he believes Iowa Interstate will be more interested in working with Metra than with Amtrak.

In a news release on the funding, Dave Herrell, president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, said that passenger rail from Chicago to Moline "is a transformative opportunity that will add significant value and community benefit as we continue to position the Quad Cities region for the future."

Passenger rail would strengthen tourism, drive the Quad-Cities visitor economy, stimulate economic development, and enhance quality of life, Harrell said.

"Bolstering our connectivity to the leading source market for visitation helps us further leverage this market but has broader implications for mobility options in a 21st-century economy," he added.

For years, the area has fought for rail service to and from Chicago.

"Finally, that future is coming down the tracks," Johnson said.

Grace Kinnicutt of the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus contributed.

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