Lincoln mayor attends high-speed rail summit in Normal

How would new rail service affect Lincoln?

[October 02, 2009]  Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder said that the mayor of the city of Normal had invited all the mayors of all the communities along the Amtrak line from Chicago to St. Louis to attend a summit meeting last week.

Among the items discussed was a request from the governor that all the communities sign a "Memorandum of Understanding." This would be necessary for the state's request for federal funding of the project.

Snyder said that the memorandum must be signed immediately and returned to the governor by the end of this week.

He said that Bates has looked at the memorandum and has questioned the language. Bates said that the language could be read to indicate that the cities involved would have to contribute money to the projects.

However, Snyder said that the city attorney for Normal reads the same document as saying that the cities have the option to invest money in the project at their own discretion.

Alderwoman Marty Neitzel asked what the benefit of high-speed rail would be to the city of Lincoln.

Snyder said that there has been concern that Pontiac and Lincoln would be cut out, but the governor has said that will not happen.

He also noted that approximately 19,000 people board the Amtrak in Lincoln each year and that it is important to college students and family members of individuals incarcerated in local prisons as well as local business people.

However, with the high-speed rail, additional express trains that will not stop in town may be added to the schedule. But he added that not all the trains stop now.

The mayor said that this route will not be part of the bullet train route. The trains that come through Lincoln now average a speed of 75 mph, while the high-speed rail that will come through this area will mean trains traveling at speeds of around 110 mph.

The mayor also noted that it has been written into the program that even these faster trains will still have to maintain city speed limits. Therefore, as the train passes through town, folks will notice no difference in the speed.

There is a bullet train proposal for Illinois, but it would involve a line running from Chicago to Champaign to St. Louis. The bullet train travels at a speed of approximately 200 mph.

Another issue involved in the high-speed rail is crossing safety. Snyder said that because the trains will have to observe city speed limits, it shouldn't be that much of an issue in town. However, it will be a concern in rural areas. As such, the state is looking at installing full-width drop-gate-style crossing guards in rural areas.

Snyder also noted that as freight traffic increases, there may also be a need to go to double track on this route.

Currently the federal stimulus package holds $8 billion for high-speed rail, and thus far the government has received $102 billion in requests from 40 states.

Snyder closed by saying that if there were no objections, he would like to go ahead and sign the memorandum and get it sent off. No one spoke up, so the matter was settled.

[By NILA SMITH]