Quad Cities (train)

Planned intercity passenger train to operate between Chicago and Moline, Illinois

Quad CitiesOverview

Service type| Inter-city rail
Status| Planned
Locale| Illinois
First service| 2027 (planned)
Current operator(s)| Amtrak
Route
Termini| Chicago, Illinois
Moline, Illinois
Stops| 8
Distance travelled| 162 miles (261 km)
Service frequency| Twice-daily
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)| BNSF, IAIS
| Route map

Legend

|  |  |

Dist.

| Station

|
|
|
|

|  |

| 0 mi

0 km

Chicago

|  |

| 14 mi

23 km

La Grange
|  |

| 28 mi

45 km

Naperville
|  |

| 52 mi

84 km

Plano
|  |

| 83 mi

134 km

Mendota
|  |

| 104 mi

167 km

Princeton
|  |

|  |

| Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg,

California Zephyr, Southwest Chief

|  |

| 142 mi

229 km

Geneseo (proposed)
|  |

| 175 mi

282 km

Moline
|  |  |  |  |  |

This diagram:

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The Quad Cities is a planned Amtrak Illinois Service intercity passenger train that will operate between Chicago and Moline in the US state of Illinois. The train will duplicate the route and stations of the Carl Sandburg and Illinois Zephyr between Chicago and Wyanet using track owned by BNSF. On the Wyanet–Moline segment, which will include a station at Geneseo, the train will use track owned by Iowa Interstate Railroad.[1]

## History

[edit]

Originally, the Rock Island Railroad provided passenger service in the Quad Cities via the Quad Cities Rocket train. The railroad initially declined to hand passenger operations over to Amtrak, and service to Chicago continued until December 31, 1978.[2]

In 2008, United States Senators Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Dick Durbin and Barack Obama of Illinois sent a letter to Amtrak asking them to begin plans to bring rail service to the Quad Cities.[3] In October 2010, a $230 million federal fund was announced that will bring Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, with a new line running from Moline to Chicago. They had hoped to have the line completed in 2015, and to offer two daily round trips to Chicago.[4] In December 2011, the federal government awarded $177 million in funding for the Amtrak connection.[5]

In 2015, Illinois Republican governor Bruce Rauner announced a spending freeze that placed both the proposed train service and the Black Hawk to Dubuque, Iowa, under review by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).[6] After being on hold for over a year, IDOT moved forward with the project in order to prevent losing the $177 million in federal funding for the passenger service.[7]

In July 2019, a new transportation bill was passed by the Illinois state legislature, supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker, with $225 million was appropriated to begin this service.[8] In its 2020–2025 service plan, Amtrak forecast that the Chicago–Moline route will begin in fiscal year 2024 and attract 165,600 riders that year.[9]

In February 2023, State Senator Mike Halpin, State Representative Gregg Johnson, and Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati asked IDOT and Amtrak to request intervention from the Surface Transportation Board against the Iowa Interstate Railroad for holding up the project.[10]

In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted an application by IDOT to enter the Chicago–Moline route into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the route for future federal funding.[11]

## Stations

[edit]

The entire route is in Illinois.

Town/City  | Station  | Connections

|
|

Chicago | Chicago Union Station |  Amtrak: Blue Water, Borealis, California Zephyr, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Floridian, Hiawatha, Illini and Saluki, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Lake Shore Limited, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle, Wolverine
CTA Buses
Amtrak Thruway, Megabus
Metra: North Central Service, Milwaukee District/North Line, Milwaukee District/West Line, BNSF Railway Line, Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service
La Grange | La Grange |  Amtrak: Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg
Metra: BNSF Railway Line
Pace
Naperville | Naperville |  Amtrak: California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Southwest Chief
Metra: BNSF Railway Line
Pace
Plano | Plano |  Amtrak: Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg
Mendota | Mendota |  Amtrak: Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Southwest Chief
Princeton | Princeton |  Amtrak: California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Southwest Chief
Geneseo | Geneseo  |
Moline | Moline |  Amtrak Thruway, Burlington Trailways, Greyhound Lines
Quad Cities MetroLINK

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Chicago to Quad Cities Map". IllinoisRail.org.
2. ^ Glischinski, Steve (2007). Regional Railroads of the Midwest. Voyageur Press. p. 77\. ISBN 9781610604956.
3. ^ Coulter, Melissa (June 6, 2008). "Ready to trade wheels for rails". Quad-City Times. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
4. ^ Tibbetts, Ed (October 25, 2010). "Quad-City rail project to get $230 million". Quad-City Times. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
5. ^ Pulliam, John R. (December 15, 2011). "$177M earmarked for QC-Chicago rail". The Register-Mail. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
6. ^ Simmons, Shane (January 25, 2015). "Gov. Rauner's spending freeze results in 'review' of Quad City Amtrak project". WQAD-TV. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
7. ^ Timmons, Eric (June 21, 2016). "Illinois commits to Chicago-Moline passenger rail". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
8. ^ Ketz, Jonathan (October 23, 2019). "Rail group celebrates 'big win' for Amtrak line from QC to Chicago". WQAD.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
9. ^ "Amtrak Five-Year Service Line Plans: Fiscal Years 2020-2025" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 71, 150. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
10. ^ O'Neill, Michelle (February 27, 2023). "Chicago to Moline Passenger Rail Advocates Push for Federal Intervention". WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
11. ^ "FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections" (PDF). railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration. December 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.

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Amtrak routes

Long
distance|

| West|

* California Zephyr
* Coast Starlight
* Empire Builder
* Southwest Chief
* Sunset Limited
* Texas Eagle

|

East|

* Auto Train
* Cardinal
* City of New Orleans
* Crescent
* Floridian
* Lake Shore Limited
* Palmetto

| Silver Service|

* Silver Meteor

|

Corridor|

| West|

* Amtrak Cascades
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* Winter Park Express (seasonal)

Amtrak California|

* Capitol Corridor
* Pacific Surfliner
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Midwest|

* Borealis
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Illinois Service|

* Illini and Saluki
* Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg
* Lincoln Service

Michigan Services|

* Blue Water
* Pere Marquette
* Wolverine

East|

* Downeaster
* Mardi Gras Service (planned for 2025)

| Northeast Corridor|

* Acela
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|

Knowledge Corridor|

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Empire Corridor|

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Keystone Corridor|

* Keystone Service
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* Carolinian
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