Quad Cities vs. Rockford/Dubuque?

January 16th, 2008 at 03:49pm Thomas V. Bona

Looks like there might be some competition over Amtrak routes after all, at least from rail advocates. According to an article in River Cities’ Reader, folks in the Quad Cities are saying their planned Amtrak route should get funded before ours. Here’s the key part:

“I think the next thing we’d like to see happen … [is] service expansion to both Rockford/Dubuque and the Quad Cities, because they’ve been so long without passenger-rail service,” (George Weber, acting chief of the Illinois Department Transportation’s Bureau of Railroads, said. Dubuque was last served by passenger rail in 1981, while the Quad Cities have been without service since 1978.
Establishing new service, of course, “depends on funding availability,” he said.
The Quad Cities Passenger Rail Coalition wants to jump ahead of Dubuque in the line for funding. “We’re all vying for money,” Rumler said. He noted that Amtrak’s study of the Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque line estimated annual ridership at 77,500 and capital costs of $32 million - both inferior to estimates for the Quad Cities line. “The Quad Cities is a solid investment … compared to other potential” routes, he said.
But it’s not quite so simple, Weber said. Estimated ridership is a factor, he said, but “there are other parts that could swing your priority over to a corridor that might not have as much demand in ridership.”
For example: “The Rockford study was done first,” he said.
Expediency is also key, he said. “A lot of it depends on trying to work out some type of a construction agreement and operating scenario with the host railroad. … If you had the money, how soon could you do the track work … ?”
On the other hand, “the Quad Cities probably requires a little less capital,” Weber said. “We would have to make the determination at the time funding becomes available.”
He added that both Dubuque and the Quad Cities would have sufficient ridership to merit starting service, and would have state operating contributions that are in-line with existing Amtrak routes in Illinois. “They’re both feasible,” he said. “They’re comparable.”
Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the company doesn’t have an opinion on whether a particular route would be worth the cost for the state - “That’s not really our business,” he said

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized