U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin,
Gov. Pat Quinn and officials with the Union Pacific Railroad and
Amtrak signed Wednesday's agreement. The deal means construction
on the high-speed rail line will continue in the spring in central
Illinois. Work on this phase is expected to end next fall.
Officials say the high-speed corridor between St. Louis and
Chicago should be running by 2012.
Amtrak reported in September that ridership on its rail line
between Chicago and St. Louis was up 11 percent over the last fiscal
year. The line is one of Amtrak's most popular routes.
[Associated Press]
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