Maybe wait to purchase that car if you’re living in Illinois, because passenger rail service continues to expand across the state.
According to WandTV, lawmakers have introduced the Passenger Rail Planning Act to require the Illinois Department of Transportation to incorporate passenger rail frequencies into the state’s rail plan.
Sponsors and advocates are calling for high-speed trains to operate hourly between Chicago and Champaign, and every four hours between Champaign and Carbondale and Memphis.
Additionally, they hope to establish hourly train services from Chicago to Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, and Atlanta.
Illinois is pushing for a massive passenger rail expansion
The Passenger Rail Planning Act aims to incorporate this vision into the state’s rail plan so that Illinois—and the entire Midwest—can benefit from frequent train services.
While the bill does not mandate any new construction or allocate additional funding, it provides the clearest outline to date of what high-frequency passenger rail could look like in Illinois.
The rationale is that, as an existing economic hub, Chicago can generate more revenue for everyone along the routes if passenger traffic increases.
However, the ambitious vision for expanded rail service is unlikely to materialize soon. The bill only specifies these target frequencies in the state’s current rail plan and recommends these corridors for consideration in the federal government’s rail development program.