High Speed Rail Plan Proposed For Chicago

A congressman from Illinois has called for the construction of a new high-speed rail line between Chicago and St. Louis in neighboring Missouri, which he said would cut the journey time between the two cities to two and a half hours.

The proposal came from Representative Mike Quigley, who represents Illinois's 5th congressional district, via an article published by The Chicago Tribune.

It comes amid a surge in interest about high-speed rail across the U.S. with a number of new lines proposed across the country. In April construction started on America's first superfast track, to take passengers 218 miles between Las Vegas and southern California.

In his Chicago Tribune article Quigley described this new link as "a great example of what could be possible in the Midwest."

He argued a high-speed rail link between Chicago and St. Louis would cut the journey time between the two cities "nearly in half from current levels," and suggested this could go on to form part of a high-speed network across the Midwest.

Quigley wrote: "Two and a half hours. That is how quickly one could travel from Chicago to St. Louis with new high-speed rail infrastructure. That could cut travel time nearly in half from current levels, saving millions of riders something money can't often buy: time."

Currently the journey takes around 4.5 hours by car, and 4 hours 46 minutes by rail from Union Station, Chicago to Gateway Station, St Louis. But, depending on the type of rail system selected, the fastest trains could in theory do the trip in an hour and a half.

Quigley later added: "The Midwest has a number of major cities all within a day's drive, providing an excellent geographic canvas for the building of an effective passenger rail network. This network could connect people and economies in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly way.

"To achieve this, we must take the steps now to invest in a high-speed rail future while making improvements to our current passenger rail network."

Quigley noted that in 2021 Governor J.B. Pritzker established the Illinois High-Speed Railway Commission, which was tasked with creating "a statewide plan for a high-speed rail line and feeder network connecting St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago."

This body is tasked with presenting a report to the governor and Illinois General Assembly each year detailing what a high-speed rail network in the state could look like and how it might be constructed.

Quigley concluded: "We can ensure that high-speed rail in the Midwest is the ideal for the rest of the nation to follow."

Newsweek contacted the office of Rep. Mike Quigley for comment on Friday outside of usual business hours.

There are currently proposals to construct two new high-speed rail lines in the state of Texas, connecting Dallas to Houston and Fort Worth.

The proposed Dallas-Houston line is being developed as a collaboration between Amtrak, America's national passenger railroad company, and firm Texas Central which operates out of Dallas. On April 15 the proposed line, which is intended to let trains travel at 240 miles-per-hour using Japanese Shinkansen technology, was endorsed by President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Separately the North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) is working on plans for a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth, though they are significantly less advanced.

At a meeting on Monday NCTCOG transportation planning manager Brendon Wheeler said the group is still searching for a commercial partner for the project, according to The Dallas Morning News.