Culver to promote Iowa rail service

DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver will hit the rail next week to promote the importance of freight and passenger rail in Iowa.

The governor has scheduled a five-city whistle-stop tour on Wednesday through central and western Iowa aboard the Iowa Interstate Railroad's Iowa Unlimited to discuss efforts aimed at bringing back passenger rail service to parts of Iowa.

The special rail trip from Des Moines to Council Bluffs will be aboard an Iowa Interstate train featuring an engine and two cars that each could hold up to 50 passengers, said Culver spokesman Troy Price. Stops also are scheduled in Earlham, Menlo and Atlantic, he said.

“To succeed in the new economy, we must ensure that Iowa has many transportation options – including roads, airports, water transport, and –of course – rail,” Culver said in a statement announcing next week's itinerary.

“Modern freight rail transportation services are important to growing our economy and creating jobs, while expanded passenger rail options will help retain and attract new people to our state,” he added.

The governor noted that his I-JOBS bonding initiative passed during the 2009 legislative session included $10 million for multi-modal transportation projects in Iowa -- including $3 million for expanded passenger rail service in the state.

Iowa officials also will be competing for federal passenger rail funds via the economic stimulus package and working with officials from Illinois and Amtrak to establish new passenger rail connections between Chicago and Iowa communities. Current proposals under study would bring passenger rail service to Dubuque, the Quad Cities and Iowa City -- with long-term plans to continue service to other Iowa communities, such as Des Moines and Council Bluffs.

Culver's itinerary includes a kick-off news conference in Des Moines on Wednesday morning, brief comments from the back of a rail car during stops in Earlham and Menlo, and a pot-luck lunch at the downtown depot in Atlantic where the governor also will hold a “Capitol for a Day” event accompanied by several state department directors.

The day-long rail trip will end with a public celebration at the Rails West Museum, an old Rock Island Railroad depot, Price said.