The Illinois Senate last week approved a bill that would establish the Illinois and Midwest High Speed Rail Commission to oversee initial planning for high-speed rail service. The legislation is expected to be approved by the House and signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.
The 12-member commission would be charged with issuing a road map by March 2011 on structuring a public-private partnership to design, build and operate a high-speed rail system with speeds of 150 miles per hour and up.
The agency also would explore funding options and make recommendations on how to best connect the services offered by bullet trains with airports, Amtrak service and public transportation systems.
“With this historic bill, Illinois would become only the third U.S. state officially planning for world-class bullet trains,” said the bill’s author, state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero.
The state’s $30 billion capital program includes $400 million for high-speed rail. Illinois also was allocated $1.2 billion of the $8 billion available in the federal stimulus for high-speed rail projects.
