Amtrak to Peoria?

[Steel City Don]

I lived just outside Peoria, Illinois last year for a year. They was suppose to meet to discuss an Amtrak extension in Peoria. If I still lived there I would be 100% for this. Especially a Chicago to Bloomington to Peoria route. Perhaps a route to connect Peoria-Galesburg-Bloomington/Normal-Chicago. They have the CAT world headquarters there, Bradley and Robert Morris University, plus the Illinois Neurological Institute there, and a minor league baseball and hockey team, so there would be a good reason for the train.

 

[Gingee]

I would say yes yes yes yes yes. I live in Peoria.

 

[Gfoley4]

There was actually a short lived Chicago-East Peoria train called the Prairie Marksman. It used the old GM&O and TP&W instead of the Rock Island Line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_Marksman_(Amtrak)

 

[Steel City Don]

I would say yes yes yes yes yes. I live in Peoria.

I lived in morton for a year, just moved back to PA in October. I was all for it because the route would have been through Morton!!!! I saw this in the PJ Star online around the first week of October.

 

[Steel City Don]

There was actually a short lived Chicago-East Peoria train called the Prairie Marksman. It used the old GM&O and TP&W instead of the Rock Island Line.

http://en.wikipedia....arksman_(Amtrak)

Thanks for that info! never knew that!

 

[Steel City Don]

This was not the article I saw, but I did find this one,

My link

 

[Gingee]

I haven't heard anything more about a train service. I know it will be a long time if ever.

 

[Steel City Don]

Oh I know, may not live to see it..lol

 

[Eric S]

I lived just outside Peoria, Illinois last year for a year. They was suppose to meet to discuss an Amtrak extension in Peoria. If I still lived there I would be 100% for this. Especially a Chicago to Bloomington to Peoria route. Perhaps a route to connect Peoria-Galesburg-Bloomington/Normal-Chicago. They have the CAT world headquarters there, Bradley and Robert Morris University, plus the Illinois Neurological Institute there, and a minor league baseball and hockey team, so there would be a good reason for the train.

Not sure which "they" you were referring to, but IDOT recently posted a study of options for Amtrak service to Peoria.

http://www.dot.state.il.us/amtrak/PDF/peoriafeasability.pdf

 

[Mackensen]

I lived just outside Peoria, Illinois last year for a year. They was suppose to meet to discuss an Amtrak extension in Peoria. If I still lived there I would be 100% for this. Especially a Chicago to Bloomington to Peoria route. Perhaps a route to connect Peoria-Galesburg-Bloomington/Normal-Chicago. They have the CAT world headquarters there, Bradley and Robert Morris University, plus the Illinois Neurological Institute there, and a minor league baseball and hockey team, so there would be a good reason for the train.

Not sure which "they" you were referring to, but IDOT recently posted a study of options for Amtrak service to Peoria.

http://www.dot.state.il.us/amtrak/PDF/peoriafeasability.pdf

Fascinating read. Amtrak feasibility studies tend toward "worst case" but they do illustrate the problems with getting anything started. The study recommends a rail shuttle (sounds like the New Haven-Springfield trains) from East Peoria to Normal, with a running time of 50 minutes. Startup costs are about $100 million, mostly for track improvements on the NS and a yard bypass track in Normal. Given that the route parallels I-74 I think Thruway Motorcoach service makes way more sense, at least as a starting point. Burlington Trailways already operates over the route.

 

[railiner]

Since Illinois seems to be really interested in expansion, I was wondering what other routes they are considering besides Dubuque and Quad Cities?

Anything to Decatur? Or Danville? Seems there are several viable possibilities....

If only other states would be as interested....

 

[Mackensen]

Since Illinois seems to be really interested in expansion, I was wondering what other routes they are considering besides Dubuque and Quad Cities?

Anything to Decatur? Or Danville? Seems there are several viable possibilities....

If only other states would be as interested....

The Illini terminated at Decatur 1981-1983 but the ridership wasn't all that great. This was back before it was extended to Carbondale. I can't see Amtrak/Illinois adding more service to the CN until they've eliminated the St. Charles Air Line. I suppose you could extend such service to St. Louis over the Norfolk Southern but I have absolutely no idea what condition that track is in.

 

[Eric S]

Fascinating read. Amtrak feasibility studies tend toward "worst case" but they do illustrate the problems with getting anything started. The study recommends a rail shuttle (sounds like the New Haven-Springfield trains) from East Peoria to Normal, with a running time of 50 minutes. Startup costs are about $100 million, mostly for track improvements on the NS and a yard bypass track in Normal. Given that the route parallels I-74 I think Thruway Motorcoach service makes way more sense, at least as a starting point. Burlington Trailways already operates over the route.

I agree with you that Thruway bus service makes much more sense. I haven't played around with the timings to see how it would work (how many buses would be needed, etc), but ideally a dedicated bus service could be set up to serve each train, both northbound and southbound, at Normal.

 

[MikefromCrete]

It looks like establishing a Thruway bus service to Normal would be the first step to serving Peoria. If it's successful, then a rail shuttle could be started. Ideally, utilizing the CSX/Iowa Interstate or a BNSF/Iowa Interstate to the old Rock Island station in downtown Peoria wold be best in terms of all-rail service, but also pretty expensive.

A train to Danville would be fairly easy to start, especially if Metra ever starts up a Southeast Service to Crete, but I'm not sure if the ridership would be there. L&N (now CSX) ran the Danville Flyer (a remnant of C&EI trains to Evansville and points a lot further south) right up to Amtrak Day in 1971.

 

[Eric S]

Looks like someone else is thinking along the same lines.

http://www.galesburg.com/features/x962227826/Quad-Cities-to-Danville-by-rail?zc_p=0

The article mentions a bill before the Illinois Legislature that would direct IDOT to set up two Amtrak feeder bus routes, one running Moline-Galesburg-Peoria-Normal-Champaign-Danville and the other running Quincy-Springfield-Decatur-Champaign-Danville.

 

[railiner]

How about running a schedule or two between Chicago and Milwaukee on the more populous route through Kenosha? Probably not going to happen, as it would probably benefit Wisconsin more than Illinois.....

 

[Gingee]

I remember once in 1972 we called to make a reservation on the rocket. My future husband did anyhow. He said they just laughed at him. I tell you one thing. The train rock and rolled to downtown Chicago.

Now those buses from Peoria airport to Bloomington/Champaign take a long time to get there and sometimes you have 3-4 hour wait at the train station. We usually drive it. Fourty-five minutes to Bloomington 1.5 hours to Champaign.

Now when we came back on SWC a couple months ago, there was one family that drove from Iowa (2.5 hours) just to take the SWC.

 

[MikefromCrete]

How about running a schedule or two between Chicago and Milwaukee on the more populous route through Kenosha? Probably not going to happen, as it would probably benefit Wisconsin more than Illinois.....

UP would have to approve it (and we know how they love passenger trains), and the portion north of Kenosha would probably need a lot of work since its been freight only for 40 years. Wisconsin was working on a commuter line between Kenosha and Milwaukee but like most transit improvements in the Dairy State, it seems to have imploded.

 

[Gfoley4]

How about running a schedule or two between Chicago and Milwaukee on the more populous route through Kenosha? Probably not going to happen, as it would probably benefit Wisconsin more than Illinois.....

UP would have to approve it (and we know how they love passenger trains), and the portion north of Kenosha would probably need a lot of work since its been freight only for 40 years. Wisconsin was working on a commuter line between Kenosha and Milwaukee but like most transit improvements in the Dairy State, it seems to have imploded.

This wouldn't work also because UP operated lines run out of Olgivie Transportation Center (former C&NW Station) instead of Union Station.