Passenger rail service proposed between Iowa City and Chicago

The nation's economic downturn could have passenger trains rolling into Iowa City much sooner than expected even a year ago.

"Within the next couple of years it's going to be a sure thing," said Dick Welch of Swisher, longtime passenger rail advocate and Iowa's representative to the National Association of Railroad Passengers. "From a national standpoint, I think things are really looking up for passenger rail. Obama and his folks are very pro-rail."

Mike Tramontina, director of the state Department of Economic Development, will go even further.

"I'd be willing to bet you a lunch that in five years we're going to be riding passenger rail through Iowa City to Des Moines," Tramontina said. "It's a very real possibility."

The prospect of expanded passenger rail service is fueled by $8 billion for passenger rail included in the $787 billion federal economic stimulus package. Along with $1.9 billion for new intercity routes in the regular Amtrak budget passed last fall, that's moved a proposed Amtrak route between Iowa City, the Quad Cities and Chicago from something-nice-to-have-someday to attainable reality.

To build local support, the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a public meeting on the proposed service at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at its offices at 325 E. Washington St.

Nancy Quellhorst, chamber president and CEO, said reviving rail passenger service is one of the group's strategic goals for 2009.

"We decided that we would build a coalition, we would lobby federally for funds," Quellhorst said. "As it turns out, the timing was quite opportune."

Today's event will include a review of the proposed Chicago-Iowa City service, the subject of a study released last April by Amtrak and the state departments of transportation in Illinois and Iowa. The study examined two potential routes between Chicago and the Princeton, Ill., area, with trains operating over Cedar Rapids-based Iowa Interstate Railroad from Iowa City to Princeton.

The study found improving Iowa Interstate Railroad tracks to allow 79-mph operation - Amtrak runs most of its trains over tracks owned by freight-hauling railroads - would allow a five-hour running time between Chicago and Iowa City, drawing 187,000 riders a year on two round trips a day.

Iowa Interstate president and CEO Dennis Miller said the required track and signaling improvements could be completed in two construction seasons. He said his railroad has the capacity to handle the service envisioned by Amtrak.

"Iowa City is going to be the main problem, in that we do not have space to accommodate tying up the train overnight very easily, and there isn't adequate parking readily available downtown," Miller wrote in an e-mail.

Upgrading tracks and signal systems, renovating coaches, hiring and training crews, and other start-up costs could run up to $54.9 million, according to the study. The annual operating subsidy, to be shared by the two states, is estimated at $6 million to $7.2 million.

If Amtrak and the states can tap the stimulus package for most or all of the start-up costs, "I can't see anything that could really slow this down," Welch said.

Jim Larew, who is Gov. Chet Culver's representative on a Midwest passenger rail advisory group, said expanding Iowans' access to passenger rail in a priority of the Culver-Judge administration.

"It seems to me that the planets are aligning themselves in a way that potentially will be very helpful to Iowa's and this administration's goal," he said. "I think it would be a great thing for Iowa to be part of this network."

Iowa City's last passenger train, operated by Iowa Interstate predecessor Rock Island Railroad, rolled out of town in 1970. Iowa DOT Director Nancy Richardson has already requested another Amtrak study on extending service across the state on the old Rock Island route to Des Moines and Omaha. The Illinois DOT is also studying a Chicago-Dubuque route.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said lawmakers are looking to use proceeds from Culver's proposed infrastructure bonding proposal or other resources to come up with the $3 million yearly investment Iowa needs to leverage about $12 million annually to accomplish the Iowa City link.

"It comes down to state funding," said Marc Magliari of Amtrak's Chicago office.

Richardson said prospects for expanded passenger rail service in Iowa are dependent on federal funding and the appropriate state match.

"Amtrak's message to us was they want to see states put some money where their mouth is. There's know other way to say it," she said.

"I'm optimistic that we're going to get a piece of that so that we can make it a reality," she added. "I think there's some real excitement about it."

Rep. Paul Bell, D-Newton, said he has never seen public interest running higher for passenger rail service.

"I've never received so many pieces of email, telephone calls and personal contacts, they range from young to old," he said. "Timing is everything, and I think the timing is right now.

"I think the thing that really brought it on is high gas prices. This is one way to help alleviate some of that pressure on gas and oil is by the economical means of rail," Bell said. "I think the stars are aligning."

Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, said he would prefer to privatize passenger rail service rather than pump another $8 billion into a government-subsidized Amtrak system plagued by scheduling problems and other reliability issues.

"Government is currently running Amtrak for the most part, and it's never in its day made a profit," he said. "So, if we could privatize it and see if it could make money, that's the way to go."

Amtrak supporters point out no nation in the world has a privately run rail system.

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