Amtrak route from Iowa City to Chicago gets enviromental thumbs up

Backers' preferred route for an Amtrak passenger train linking Chicago and Iowa City has passed a key environmental test.

The route, already considered the “preferred alternative” by both the Iowa and Illinois departments of transportation, is “the environmentally preferable alternative,” according to an environmental assessment study released last week.

Besides being shorter and faster, the alternative “would reduce air pollutants and energy use to a greater extent, and have fewer noise impacts.” The shorter, faster route would mean high ridership for the proposed trains, which would initially run two round trips daily.

The report is posted at www.chicagotoiowacity.com/.

A public forum on the report's findings will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the iwireless Center, 1201 River Dr. in Moline, Ill. The public may also comment on the report and project through Oct. 15 by calling (800) 487-2302 or by e-mail to webmail@chicagotoiowacity.com. Written comments may be sent to Amanda Martin at the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Rail Transportation, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, 50010.

The preferred route would have the new Amtrak trains operate over BNSF Railway 115 miles from Chicago's Union Station to Wyanet, Ill., where they would shift to tracks owned by Cedar Rapids-based Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) for the final 102 miles to Iowa City. A 4,000-foot-long connection would be built to link the two railroads at Wyanet.

The report outlines upgrades to IAIS tracks and signal systems needed to handle Amtrak trains. The BNSF route already hosts eight Amtrak trains daily.

According to a 2008 Amtrak feasibility study, improving the Chicago-Quad Cities section would cost $22.7 million, and the Quad Cities - Iowa City segment would need $32.5 million in upgrades. Both states' transportation departments are preparing applications for federal stimulus funding for the project.