Why Illinois HSR website lacks basic information?

[Guest]

I can't find on their website when the first hi-speed train is supposed to run between Chicago-St. Louis . Also how much time will it save compared to current train. The website is http://www.idothsr.org/ . I even emailed them and never got a response. I also posted on their facebook wall and was told to see the website. Seems odd, that the only questins the public want to know don't seem to have an answer?

 

[PerRock]

Looking at their site there is still a fair number of uncertainties which is probably why they haven't announced when service will start, if I had to guess at the earliest, early 2013.

Most of the Midwest "High Speed Rail" projects are only going to shave an hour or two off of current travel time.

peter

 

[Steve4031]

An hour or two is significant to say the least. Joliet to Alton is 220 miles. So if most of this is 110 mph then that can be covered in 2 hours. Now there are two significan slow areas in Springfield and bloomington. So maybe a bit more. If chi-Joliet remains 1 hour and Alton Stl remains 1 hour then I think were looking at about 4:30 minutes.

 

[afigg]

Looking at their site there is still a fair number of uncertainties which is probably why they haven't announced when service will start, if I had to guess at the earliest, early 2013.

Most of the Midwest "High Speed Rail" projects are only going to shave an hour or two off of current travel time.

But an hour or 90 minutes is significant for corridor service, more so if it can get trip times to faster than driving.

The trip time improvements will probably incorporated in stages over the next 3-4 years. According to this document at the website, 2014 is the scheduled date for completion of the $1.1 billion project: http://www.idothsr.org/pdf/fact%20sheet%20-%20february%202011.pdf

Illinois got the $186 million grant award in early May for the Joliet to Dwight segment. They have the agreements, design details, and contracts to hammer out before the funding can be obligated and work started on that segment. They have also announced plans for speed improvements for the east St. Louis to Alton segment which may take a while to get started on. If there is additional HSIPR funding available in the next few years, IL will be applying for funding to double track more of the corridor and make additional improvements.

There is also the matter of ordering the bi-levels and new locomotives. With the grants to CA and to IL as the lead state for the mid-West states to buy at least 120 bi-levels, it is likely to take 3-4 years for the new bi-levels to start arriving. Question is when will it be considered "done"?