Traffic on the Kennedy Expressway on April 5, 2011. (Credit: CBS)
Reporting Bob Roberts
CHICAGO (WBBM) – If a bill now before the Illinois Senate is passed, private consortiums could soon be battling for the right to build a bullet train that could link downtown Chicago with O’Hare and Rockford International Airport.
The Illinois Toll Highway Authority wants to rebuild I-90. The bill would give it the right to negotiate with private interests who would pay to put bullet trains in the I-90 median.
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Currently, the Authority is prohibited from entering into such partnerships and can only generate private revenue through tollway Oasis leases.
Notably, the bill’s author and biggest backer is a Republican, State Rep. Dave Winters (R-Rockford).
He said huge numbers of motorists would abandon their cars if they see trains moving three or four times as fast as them.
“Those are the ones that cut the travel distance to the cities 300 miles outside of Chicago to replace the air traffic,” he said.
It would cut the travel time between O’Hare and Rockford International to 45 minutes, and just more than an hour between the west Loop and Rockford. Winters said if the rail link is built, the state could abandon the controversial and costly proposal to build a third Chicago area airport near Peotone.
Winters would divert the money to construction for the rail line.
The Illinois Dept of Transportation has already begun work to prepare for re-institution of passenger rail service between Chicago and Dubuque, via Rockford, using existing tracks.
IDOT Public and Intermodal Transportation Director Joseph Schacter said Saturday that negotiations are underway with Canadian National Ry. to make the needed improvements to its tracks to allow 79-mile-an-hour Amtrak service to begin by 2014.
But Winters said that the CN route, which last hosted rail passenger service in 1981, could never be considered for higher-speed service because of the more than 80 highway crossings. The I-90 route would allow for 220-mile-an-hour trains and would be grade separated for virtually the entire distance.
Mayor Daley has endorsed proposals to build a high-speed link between the west Loop and O’Hare.
The bill passed the House 66-47 April 12. Its Senate sponsors include Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Cicero).
The bill is HB1091.
13 Comments
like the lousy drivers in chicago could use any more distractions??? how stupid!. gonna see some huge accidents and back ups if the happens.
April 30, 2011 at 7:18 pm
the crooked politicians are gonna love this one. they are all gonna have their hands out, everyone getting a taste.
April 30, 2011 at 7:19 pm
State Rep. John D’Amico will vote for this due to his local 130 ties. I hope he also shows up to his job at The Department of Water Management. How can this guy have two big paying jobs when people are starving?
April 30, 2011 at 7:32 pm
is that 130 or 150, whats ibew local? operating engineers are 150, laborers are 1092 i think. anyway, they are gonna be making some big money. hopefully alot of guys will go back to work. but the freaking pols and union bosses will rob this blind.
April 30, 2011 at 7:45 pm
the illegals are the ones that are gonna do all the work for minimum wage. can you imagine? busting the unions and bringing in the mexicans like they did the chinese to build the original rail roads? just have to vote you know who out of office come 2012
April 30, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Good luck with that. all you guys got is a toupee without a brain.
May 1, 2011 at 8:07 am
How about a bullet train to deport all of these illegal immigrants!
April 30, 2011 at 7:34 pm
WONDER WHAT QUINN AND EMANUEL WILL DO WITH ALL THE EMPTY BUILDINGS IN ILLINOIS WHEN EVERYONE MOVES TO WISC. OR INDIANA TO ESCAPE THE TAXES ?? YOU GOTTA KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE THE TAXPAYERS FOOT THE BILL FOR THE AIRLINES BENEFIT !!
April 30, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Maybe Rep Winters can explain how a high speed train going to Rockford will help accessibility to air travel if you live 20-40 miles south and west of Chicago and farther than that from OHare. He needs a geography lesson. There are 5 times as many people within 45 minutes of the south suburban airport site than live in Rockford. Can you say Indiana also. Wait til he gets the pricie tag. A fast train to Rockford is no substitute for the SSA.
April 30, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Chicago has some of the dumbest white people in the world I swear ….=
May 1, 2011 at 4:40 am
CHINA HAS THE MOST HIGH SPEED RAIL IN THE WORLD … AND THE US PAID FOR IT !
HIGH SPEED RAIL SHOULD GO TO JANESVILLE WISCONSIN. LINK MIDWAY, O’HARE, TO WISCONSIN.
May 1, 2011 at 9:46 am
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