NORMAL — After years waiting for lawmakers to confirm his appointment, Normal Mayor Chris Koos has joined the Amtrak Board of Directors just as the nationwide passenger rail service is poised for transformation.
The town's longest-serving mayor earned praise Monday from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Springfield, for his resilience and commitment during the extended process that led to his Jan. 23 Senate confirmation. Durbin joined Koos for a celebratory news conference at Uptown Station, the multimodal transportation center that houses bus and rail passenger service as well as Normal's city hall.
Today, it is the second-busiest of the state's 29 Amtrak stations, falling second only to Chicago.
"That says a lot," Durbin said, characterizing it as "a perfect example of the federal investment and success of passenger rail."
The growth in ridership is attributed to last year's implementation of higher-speed rail on the Lincoln Service line between St. Louis and Chicago. Durbin on Monday noted a 10% increase in ridership from 2022-2023 on the Lincoln Service train and a 14% jump in passenger boarding and arrivals at Uptown Station.
Durbin fellow U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D- Chicago, said in a joint statement after Koos' appointment they were confident the mayor would grow and protect Amtrak's network. At Monday's conference, Durbin said the Midwest will be well-represented by Koos, who joined his first Amtrak board meeting last week.
The mayor said funding made available through President Joe Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would open opportunities for Amtrak to engage in more long-term planning.
"What will happen over the next 10 to 15 years, maybe 20 years, is going to be game-changing for Amtrak and passenger rail in the United States," Koos said.
One of the reasons he was selected is because Normal isn't part of the Northeast Corridor, a 457-mile route that serves regional and commuter trains in Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston, among other destinations.
"I'm from the broader population of the United States and can make representation of the passenger riders in the Midwest," Koos said, adding that's an important part of his job on the board.
Former President Donald Trump first nominated Koos in 2020 but the mayor wasn't confirmed. Biden renewed Koos' nomination in 2022.
Durbin said the board seat is one of only eight such roles that are appointed by the president, and Koos' predecessor, former Macomb Mayor Tom Carper, is also noteworthy. He said Carver had a stint as board chair under President Obama.
'Long overdue' cooperation
Durbin said the ridership growth is a result of federal investment in Illinois' passenger rail service. He said the enactment of the 2021 infrastructure law comes with $66 billion in rail funding, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he worked to get a $93 million increase for Amtrak's national train network.
When he came to the Senate in 1996, Durbin said, Amtrak's survival was a topic of active debate.
"There were people who said 'we've got to put an end to this government-subsidized boondoggle," Durbin said.
But look at Amtrak today, the senator said, and you'll learn you need to book a ticket early for trains heading in and out of Bloomington- Normal, "because it's a busy road." Durbin said his wife has learned that on her many trips to Springfield to be with him.
He said he was honored to help secure $1.7 billion in funding for the Chicago- St. Louis high-speed rail project that increased Amtrak train speeds up to 110 mph and helped furnish 88 new Siemens Venture passenger cars for the route.
"My wife tells me they're good," Durbin said of the new passenger train cars. That project took 13 years of effort, the senator said.
Koos thanked Durbin for his faith and standing with him, and said future Amtrak project announcements, which include significant infrastructure improvements, will require patience. He pointed to two 19th century tunnels that Amtrak is planning to replace on the East Coast.
"What you're going to see is Amtrak becoming a completely different organization," Koos said, adding that projects on state routes in Texas and Ohio are very important too. He said Amtrak is trying to get more state services while bolstering long-distance routes.
Asked how his role on the Amtrak board might help advance the long-discussed construction of an Uptown Station underpass, Koos responded that it's a matter of keeping attention on the project, which he said is very close to going out to bid.
"That's an important project to us locally, and it's important to Amtrak too, to improve the viability of the Chicago- St. Louis corridor," Koos said.
A reporter then asked if Amtrak will be adding a line to Peoria. Durbin said he wants that to happen, and "certainly Rock Island feels the same way too."
"This has had checkered history, but I think we're at the point where there's solid local support," said Durbin.
While negotiations are ongoing, the senator said he was told last week a conclusion is close to be reached on how to connect Peoria and the Quad Cities to Chicago.
"I think it's such a solid signal that these downstate communities want Amtrak service," Durbin said. He said they've seen what's happened in the Twin Cities and what it means to local economies.
"It will take state cooperation, state development to subsidize the service, but I think it's long overdue," he said.
This article has been corrected to reflect the proper spelling of former Macomb Mayor Tom Carper's name.
Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison
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