Connecting the Midwest How a Faster Passenger Rail Network Could Speed Travel and Boost the Economy

Illinois PIRG Education Fund Connecting the Midwest How a Faster Passenger Rail Network Could Speed Travel and Boost the Economy

Illinois PIRG Education Fund

Elizabeth Ridlington and Rob Kerth, Frontier Group Brian Imus, Illinois PIRG Education Fund Bruce Speight, WISPIRG Foundation

Fall 2010 Acknowledgments

The authors thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Lynne Bly, Transportation Policy Director, Fresh Energy; Richard Harnish, Executive Director, Midwest High Speed Rail Association; Ken Prendergast, Executive Director, All Aboard Ohio; Devan Willemsen, Director of Air and Land Use Special Projects, Ohio Environ- mental Council. The authors would also like to thank Tony Dutzik of Frontier Group for his extensive assistance with the maps. Thanks also to Phineas Baxandall of U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Travis Madsen of Frontier Group for their editorial assistance.

This report is made possible with funding from the Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Fund, RE-AMP, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily re- flect the views of our funders or those who provided editorial review. Any factual errors are strictly the responsibility of the authors.

With public debate around important issues often dominated by special interests pursu- ing their own narrow agendas, Illinois PIRG Education Fund offers an independent voice that works on behalf of the public interest. Illinois PIRG Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, works to protect consumers and promote good government. We investigate problems, craft solutions, educate the public, and offer Americans meaningful opportunities for civic participation. For more information about Illinois PIRG Education Fund, please visit www.illinoispirg.org.

Frontier Group conducts independent research and policy analysis to support a cleaner, healthier and more democratic society. Our mission is to inject accurate information and compelling ideas into public policy debates at the local, state and federal levels. For more information about Frontier Group, please visit www.frontiergroup.org.

Cover photo: Paul Matthew Photography/istockphoto.com Layout: Harriet Eckstein Graphic Design Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1 Introduction 6 Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest? 8 The Midwestern Rail Network 20 Michigan 23 Ohio 25 Indiana 27 Illinois 29 Missouri 32 Iowa 34 Wisconsin 36 Minnesota 38

High-Speed Passenger Rail in the Midwest: Going From Vision to Reality 40 Guidelines for State Action 40 Guidelines for Federal Action 43

Methodology 47 Appendix A: Percent of State Residents and Workers Near High-Speed Rail Stations 49 Endnotes 52

Executive Summary

n building a 21st century economy, the • Passenger rail curbs congestion Midwest is hampered by an outdated on highways and in airports. Traf- Itransportation system. Congested fic congestion costs major Midwest airports and crammed highways hinder metropolitan areas more than $10 travel around the region. As the main billion each year in lost economic source of our dependence on oil, our output. Construction of a regional rail transportation system leaves us vulner- network for the Midwest is projected able to oil price spikes and pollution. to avoid 1.3 million plane trips and Intercity passenger rail in the Mid- 5.1 million car trips per year by 2020, west can be part of the solution. The curbing congestion. Also, an improved Midwestern states have put forward a passenger rail system will run on a bold vision for efficient, rapid passenger significantly improved freight rail rail service linking the entire region. network. This means additional cost The federal government is allocating savings and lower congestion for some more than $2.7 billion in funds from the portion of freight shipments that can American Reinvestment and Recovery travel more efficiently by rail. Act to bring that vision closer to reality with rail projects in six Midwestern • Passenger rail reduces our depen- states. dence on oil. On average, an Am- Completing the Midwest’s regional trak passenger uses 30 percent less rail system should be a priority for energy per mile than a car passenger. addressing many of the region’s tough- Compared to airplanes, European est transportation challenges, while high-speed trains consume approxi- delivering badly needed economic mately one-third the amount of fuel activity. per passenger. Newer locomotives are becoming even more efficient, Passenger rail can help address the and switching rail lines from diesel to Midwest’s toughest transportation electric power can curb America’s oil challenges. dependence even further.

Executive Summary 1 • Passenger rail can boost the Mid- manufacturers an initial foothold in a west’s economy by making travel eas- growing worldwide industry. ier between cities, fostering regional business connections. Constructing a • Passenger rail can provide convenient, Midwestern passenger rail system will efficient travel, where riders can work, create more than 57,000 permanent relax, enjoy greater legroom, and travel jobs in the Midwest, and also support directly from downtown to downtown, 15,200 jobs during the 10 years that even in inclement weather—avoiding the system would be under construc- the need to drive to outlying airports, tion. Developing the system would wait in long security lines, or jostle for give Midwestern railroad equipment parking in congested center cities.

Figure ES-1: What the Midwestern High-Speed Rail Network Could Look Like

Connecting the Midwest • Passenger rail protects the environ- and improved rail service between ment. A study undertaken by the St. Louis and Kansas City. Improved Center for Clean Air Policy and the service would provide a convenient Center for Neighborhood Technology alternative to travel along I-70. found that a Midwestern high speed rail system would prevent 188,000 • Iowa would have restored service to tons of carbon dioxide emissions each Iowa City and Des Moines and an 80 year by diverting passengers from car mph line extending across the state. and plane travel, equal to the an- The Iowa City-Chicago line is pro- nual emissions of 34,000 cars. Sav- jected to reduce car travel by 345,000 ings could be higher if the benefits of trips per year, saving 1.5 million gal- improved freight and conventional rail lons of gasoline. networks are included. • In Wisconsin, the popular route A Midwestern rail network would reach from Chicago to Milwaukee would all of the region’s major centers of popu- be extended to Madison, connecting lation and employment—touching the the state’s two largest cities. With a lives of most residents of the region. completed regional high speed rail network, most major Wisconsin cities • Region-wide, 58 percent of Midwest- and economic centers would be con- erners—35 million people—would nected to Chicago, the Twin Cities and have access to a high-speed rail station the entire Great Lakes region by rail. within 15 miles of their homes. A total of 17 million people would live within • Minnesota would see new high-speed five miles of a station. service to the Twin Cities. Traveling to Chicago on the new line would be • More than one out of every four jobs at least an hour faster than driving. in the region would be within five miles of a high-speed rail station, • In Michigan, upgraded service would meaning that high-speed rail could provide a faster connection for eco- play a critical role in facilitating the nomically battered cities like Detroit connectivity that can improve the and Flint to Chicago, creating new region’s economy. possibilities for economic development and recovery. Every Midwestern state stands to gain from the construction of high-speed • In Indiana, Indianapolis would sit rail. directly between Cincinnati and Chi- cago on a new high-speed line, with • Illinois would be the hub of the new multiple trains leaving daily in both system, with two out of every three directions. jobs in the state located within 15 miles of a high-speed rail stop. Im- • In Ohio, the “3 Cs”—Cleveland, provements on the Chicago-St. Louis Columbus, and Cincinnati—are not line are projected to draw 1.2 million currently connected by a rail line. A passengers in the first year of service. regional rail network could include a high-speed line across the state con- • In Missouri, St. Louis would benefit necting the three cities, and linking from a faster connection to Chicago Cleveland and Cincinnati to Chicago.

Executive Summary 3 Recent investments in passenger rail The Midwest should develop a high- have already paid off in higher ridership. speed rail network that fits together with other modes of transportation to • Faster service along the Chicago to knit the region together. To that end, Detroit corridor has led to a 24 per- Midwestern states should: cent increase in ridership over the past five years, despite the region’s severe • Continue to back a regional vision. economic downturn. High-speed rail can only deliver its promise to the region if state and • Similarly, increases in frequency of federal agencies fully commit to devel- service along the Chicago to St. Louis oping a functional interstate rail net- line led to a 56 percent increase in work. Each Midwestern state should ridership. recognize that its own transportation network will realize its full value only • Americans are hungry for access to if coordinated with developments more and better rail service. A 2009 in other states, and push for federal survey found that if the cost and travel investment across the region. So far, time were equal, 54 percent of Ameri- the Midwestern states have coordi- cans would prefer to travel to cities in nated their efforts more successfully their region by high-speed rail, with than states in other regions, and the only 33 percent preferring car travel region’s governors should maintain and 13 percent preferring air travel. their leadership in this regard. Of Americans who had actually ridden high-speed rail, an overwhelming 82 • Maximize “bang for the buck” by percent preferred it to air travel. investing in lines with the greatest ridership potential, using incremental Building the infrastructure to ease con- improvements in passenger rail to help gestion will require a large investment lay the groundwork for faster high- whether we upgrade railroads or expand speed service, and allocating transit roads and airports. funds to achieve the greatest overall environmental and economic ben- • Illinois expects to spend $1.1 billion efit. States should advocate for fed- to upgrade rail service on the roughly eral transportation policy to treat all 200-mile route from Dwight, Illinois, modes of transportation equally rather to Alton, Illinois, or $5.5 million per than prioritizing highway spending, so mile. A highway expansion project that states can invest money where it can cost from less than $10 million will do most good. to more than $70 million per mile of additional lanes. • Balance private investment with public safeguards. The Midwest • Adding airport capacity, especially contains a large share of the nation’s at the region’s busiest airports, is freight rail infrastructure and traffic, extremely expensive. For example, which presents both opportunities reconfiguring runways and adding one and potential conflicts for a passenger terminal at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport rail system. Midwestern states should will cost $6.6 billion. Building 16 new work with freight rail companies gates at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Air- where possible, but above all ensure port is expected to cost $400 million. that passenger trains will be given

Connecting the Midwest priority on tracks—either through en- and produce more if they were assured forceable agreements or public owner- of a local market for their products. ship of infrastructure. • Measure progress against a vision. • Encourage domestic manufactur- Progress on a regional rail system ing to create jobs and develop a new should be measured against specific industry as the rail system is devel- short-term and long-term goals, in- oped. Midwestern states are home to cluding building at least one Midwest dozens of manufacturing facilities that rail line to operate at speeds of 220 make rail-related equipment. Those miles per hour by 2020. facilities would hire more employees

Executive Summary 5 Introduction

or decades, the Midwest has relied tations, continues to attract millions of extensively on two pillars of its trans- passengers every year, and saw the highest Fportation network, while neglecting a ridership in recent history in 2009. Seeing valuable third. Transportation policy in the the potential benefits of rail service, the region has lavished billions of dollars on Midwestern states have worked together highways and airports while allowing pas- to lay out a plan for a network of trains senger rail to languish. As a consequence running at up to 110 mph, pulling all the of that decision, travel times by rail are region’s major cities together around a hub longer along many routes today than they in Chicago. By rebuilding the region’s rail were at the middle of the century, and cit- network to modern performance stan- ies as large as Des Moines, Madison, and dards, the Midwestern states can create a Columbus are entirely without passenger more robust transportation system, spark rail service. new economic opportunities, and create Midwestern cities and states lose billions manufacturing jobs building passenger of dollars of economic output every year to rail equipment. traffic congestion, and travelers waste bil- A high-speed passenger rail network lions of hours stuck in traffic. Every minute in the Midwest is a reasonable goal. The that commuters spend sitting in gridlock, region has one of the nation’s strongest airplane passengers wait on the tarmac, freight rail networks—more freight cars and long-haul truckers plod along crowded pass through Chicago than any other highways, costs the region money—not to American city—and existing tracks can mention stressing, annoying and incon- be repaired and upgraded to carry 110 veniencing travelers. A Midwestern rail mph passenger trains. In fact, construc- system can attract millions of travelers tion is underway on projects funded by every year away from car and plane travel, the American Recovery and Reinvestment easing the burden on the region’s airports Act, restoring service to cities that had and highways. lost it and speeding trains along crucial The region’s existing passenger rail corridors. With continued commitment network, despite its age and service limi- from the Midwestern states, those projects

Connecting the Midwest can be the jumping-off point that leads to the Midwest will be a serious commitment, a revitalized regional rail network by the one that leads to serious rewards. The re- middle of this decade. gion has taken the first steps towards the Like the development of the Interstate economic opportunities that high-speed highway system—a multi-decade effort rail provides; now its political leaders need requiring hundreds of billions of dol- to show the commitment it will take to lars—building a high-speed rail system in finish the job.

Introduction 7 Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest?

he Midwest’s intercity transportation over 9,700 miles of interstate have been system has three main components: constructed in the Midwestern states.1 Tairlines, trains and highways (includ- Meanwhile, passenger rail service has been ing car and bus travel). For decades, the cut back dramatically, with many cities that region has invested lavishly on highways once had regular rail service now without and airports, while passenger rail service it. Figure 1 shows how extensive the Mid- has languished. Since the creation of the west’s rail system was in the 1960s; few of Interstate highway system in the 1950s, these lines carry passengers today.

Figure 1. Intercity Passenger Rail Network, 19622

Connecting the Midwest Why 110 MPH Service?

he upgrades to train service currently being proposed for the Midwest would allow trains to travel at speeds up to 110 mph, rather than at speeds of 200 Tmph or more that bullet trains can reach. (The Chicago-St. Louis route is an exception, where planners are moving more quickly toward a long-term goal of having infrastructure where trains could travel up to 220 mph.) The reason for the focus on 110 mph service is that the region could have such a system operational sooner and at a much lower cost than a system with bullet trains. Even at 110 mph, trains will provide faster travel than driving and will be competitive with air travel for trips within the Midwest. Once a network of 110 mph trains is in place, the region can use these initial improvements to make it easier to upgrade service in heavily traveled corridors to allow faster trains and shorter trip times. Upgrading conventional rail lines in this fashion has the additional advantage of improving the region’s freight rail system.

At one time, gleaming new Inter- Reducing Congestion state highways and massive modern America relies almost entirely on airplanes airports were considered the solution to and roads for intercity transportation, our transportation problems. But with including trips that could be better served growing congestion on highways and by rail. The lack of efficient passenger rail airports, concerns about oil dependence service in much of the country adds to and the environment, and a convincing congestion on our roads and in our air- and mounting track record of successful ports—leading to frustration, delay and high-speed rail lines around the globe, large losses to the economy. states in the Midwest and elsewhere Over the past three decades, the number are giving passenger rail service a fresh of miles driven on roads in the Midwest has look—seeing it as an essential facet of increased by 70 percent.3 Over the same an integrated multi-modal transporta- period, traffic congestion has skyrocketed. tion system, and essential to the region’s In 2007, major cities’ traffic congestion cost economic competitiveness. the Midwest $10.8 billion in lost economic Passenger rail service can help solve output (see Table 1), and travelers in the many of the problems that afflict our region’s most congested cities wasted a current transportation network. Rail can total of 502 million hours (57,000 person- provide safer, more comfortable, and often years) sitting in traffic.4 While much of faster travel for many trips. In the Midwest, this congestion results from commutes and passenger rail can be a double boon for the trips around town, long-distance trips add economy: creating new manufacturing and to this congestion: the U.S. Department of service jobs to support a new high-speed Transportation estimates that Americans rail system, and binding the region’s cities take more than 2 billion trips by car of 50 more closely together. miles or more annually.5

Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest 9 Table 1. The Cost of Congestion in Major Midwest Metropolitan Areas, 20076

Location Total Hours Gallons of Fuel Total Economic Wasted Annually Cost of Congestion

Chicago IL-IN 189,201,000 129,365,000 $4,207,000,000 Cincinnati OH-KY-IN 23,832,000 17,307,000 $508,000,000 Cleveland OH 12,037,000 8,166,000 $241,000,000 Columbus OH 20,428,000 14,519,000 $424,000,000 Detroit MI 116,981,000 76,425,000 $2,472,000,000 Indianapolis IN 23,505,000 16,135,000 $522,000,000 Kansas City MO-KS 12,703,000 8,085,000 $267,000,000 Milwaukee WI 14,860,000 10,651,000 $307,000,000 Minneapolis-St. Paul MN 55,287,000 38,534,000 $1,184,000,000 St. Louis MO-IL 32,863,000 20,660,000 $697,000,000

Similarly, the number of miles Ameri- Table 2. Flight Delay Frequency and cans travel by plane has more than tripled Duration for Midwestern Metropolitan 9 in the past three decades.7 The resulting Areas, July 2008 to June 2009 crowding of airports and airspace has led to more delays, lower reliability, and in- Average creasingly frustrated passengers. Chicago’s Percent of Minutes of O’Hare Airport, a hub of Midwestern Flights Delay for travel, is one of the nation’s most notori- Metropolitan Arriving Delayed Area Late Arrivals ously congested airports. In 2008, O’Hare placed 29th out of 31 major airports for Akron, OH 24% 58 on-time performance, with 32 percent of Chicago, IL 22% 66 8 flights arriving late. (See Table 2 for 2009 Cincinnati 18% 58 delays at other airports.) Cleveland 19% 57 Passenger rail can alleviate congestion Columbus 21% 54 on highways and in airports—making all Dayton 22% 54 aspects of the transportation system more Des Moines 22% 52 efficient. More than 30 percent of all flights Detroit 17% 56 departing from O’Hare and Midway airports in Chicago—144,000 of them each Grand Rapids 21% 52 year—serve other airports in the Mid- Indianapolis 18% 53 west.10 (See Table 3.) Shifting even a small Kansas City 19% 51 number of these intra-regional flights to Milwaukee 20% 54 rail would play an important role in curb- Minn.-St. Paul 18% 54 ing airport congestion for longer distance St. Louis 18% 54 trips that can’t be completed by rail. Toledo 21% 51

10 Connecting the Midwest Table 3. Heavily Traveled Flight Routes even more expensive. Rebuilding the 7.44 between Chicago and Other miles of Chicago’s Dan Ryan Expressway, Midwestern Cities11 a project initially projected to cost $550 million, eventually cost taxpayers $975 Airport Annual Number million, or $131 million per mile.16 of Passengers Expanding airports is also very ex- Minneapolis-St. Paul 2,030,439 pensive, particularly at the region’s busi- Detroit 1,820,948 est airports, which suffer the most from overcrowding. A program to reconfigure St. Louis 1,645,483 runways and add one terminal at Chicago’s Kansas City 1,520,651 O’Hare Airport, for example, will cost $6.6 billion.17 At the Minneapolis-St. Paul Air- port, where 8 percent of passengers passing through the airport travel to Chicago, The Center for Clean Air Policy and a 20-year expansion plan could cost $2.4 the Center for Neighborhood Technology billion, beginning with $400 million by estimate that building out a regional high- 2015 to build 16 new gates.18 speed rail network would reduce car travel by 5 million trips and air travel by more than 28,000 flights each year.12 Well-designed high-speed rail service can appeal to travelers who would other- Curbing Oil Dependence wise decide to fly for a short trip between Cars and airplanes are almost exclusively major cities in the same region. When powered by oil—increasing America’s de- the near-high-speed Acela service was pendence on a limited supply of fossil fuel introduced in 2000, passenger rail’s share largely controlled by other nations. Spikes of the travel between Boston, New York in oil prices in recent years have had dra- and Washington, D.C., rose dramatically matic affects on Americans’ willingness to while airlines’ portion fell. In 1999, 18 drive or fly to their destinations. Expand- percent of travelers in the air/rail market ing and improving passenger rail service between Boston and New York took the can reduce the nation’s dependence on oil train; by 2008, this had risen to 47 percent, and insulate travelers from the impact of with only 53 percent flying.13 While the fuel price spikes. East Coast is often thought of as uniquely Intercity passenger rail—even when suitable for train service—and does have powered by diesel-electric locomotives—is a denser cluster of major cities than any more fuel-efficient than car or air travel, other region—every major Midwestern particularly for trips in the 100 to 500-mile city is closer to Chicago than Boston is to range. On average, an Amtrak passenger Washington.14 uses 30 percent less energy per mile than Creating a rail network to ease conges- a car passenger, and 34 percent less than tion will require a large investment. But a passenger in an SUV or pickup truck.19 solving our infrastructure problems will be In Europe, high speed trains consume ap- expensive regardless of what types of travel proximately one-third the amount of fuel are prioritized. Expanding highways can per passenger as airplanes.20 Fuel use per range from under $10 million to over $70 passenger for trains and airplanes depends million per mile of additional lanes, and of- on how full the vehicle is. The figures here ten is only a temporary fix for congestion.15 are based on historic ridership rates; higher Moreover, in some of the most densely ridership would result in lower per-pas- developed regions, expanding highways is senger energy use.

Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest 11 call for electrifying key segments of the track, such as the proposed 220 mph route between Chicago and St. Louis.24 As train service becomes faster, more reliable and more frequent it will also draw more passengers, further lowering per-passenger fuel usage. The more seats on a train are filled, the less fuel is used [INSERT PHOTO OF AMTRAK per passenger. Amtrak trains are typically TRAIN AT OUTDOOR STATION. about 50 percent full, compared with 70 PHOTO NAME IS “AMTRAK JIM percent for European high-speed trains.25 FRAZIER”] As rail travel in America is improved and draws more passengers, it is likely they will Passenger rail is an energy-efficient mode of be carrying larger loads of travelers, raising travel, with Amtrak trains consuming less the fuel efficiency of a trip on a train. energy per passenger-mile than airplanes or Finally, the location of passenger rail cars. Credit: Jim Frazier, jimfrazier.com hubs in downtown areas can encourage and support land-use patterns that reduce These numbers underestimate rail’s the need to drive, further curbing oil use. oil savings compared with airplanes. Rail In Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, India- is most competitive against oil-intensive napolis, and elsewhere, train stations are short airplane flights with trip distances centrally located near downtown busi- of 500 miles or less—a traveler is much ness districts. A passenger rail station in more likely to choose rail over air travel a downtown area provides an inducement from Chicago to Minneapolis than from for businesses to locate nearby—just as Chicago to Miami. (For instance, trains airports spur development of office parks capture 99 percent of the air/rail share of for businesses seeking close proximity to travel between Chicago and Milwaukee.21) transportation and the construction of Short flights use more fuel per mile than hotels and other traveler services. longer flights, since a plane uses much of its fuel in takeoff. A modernized passenger rail network in the future will also likely use less oil than American passenger rail service does today. The Midwest High Speed Rail Boosting the Economy Association estimates that a Midwestern Building a modern passenger rail network rail network would reduce dependence on will be a boost to the Midwest’s economy. oil by 40 million barrels annually, or the Making connections between our cities amount of oil consumed by 2.9 million cars quicker and more convenient will bet- in a year.22 Moreover, a Midwestern rail ter equip the region for the 21st century system will save even more oil in coming economy, and upgrading our railways will decades as targeted portions of the network create tens of thousands of jobs. are converted to carry electric-powered The 19th century was characterized by trains. Currently, about 40 percent of the phenomenal growth of the Midwest’s American intercity passenger rail is pow- cities. Chicago, a town of less than a thou- ered by electricity, while 80 percent of sand people in the 1830s, grew to be the European rail service is electric.23 As the fifth-largest city in the world by 1900.26 Midwestern rail system develops, plans Other cities, such as St. Louis, experienced

12 Connecting the Midwest similar meteoric rises. The 20th century, on of I-71 and I-75 in Ohio, or I-90 and I-94 the other hand, was characterized by the between Chicago and Madison. Air travel growth of suburbia and the development for short trips within the Midwest can be of metropolitan areas, knitted together by challenging as well. For many short flights, mass transit and, later, by highways. Today, the amount of time that it takes to travel to many Midwestern metropolitan areas have the airport and go through security can be far more people living in their suburbs than greater than the amount of time actually in the central city. spent in flight. Some analysts see the 21st century as Passenger rail—particularly high-speed being the era of the “megaregion”—areas rail—has the potential to link cities within of the country in which formerly distinct the Great Lakes megaregion together in a metropolitan areas are now merging into faster and more efficient way. Easier travel contiguous zones of integrated economic within Midwestern states means that busi- activity. One such megaregion is the “Great nesses and organizations will effectively be Lakes” region, comprising much of the closer together, making it easier to travel Midwest.27 between branches, meet with potential The development of economically suc- employees and clients, and make the other cessful regions depends upon the ability to connections that strengthen an economy. share information and insights quickly and It will also make the Midwest a more at- conveniently. The growth of the Internet tractive location internationally, attracting and other forms of telecommunication has potential economic boosts such as tourism not replaced the vital role of face-to-face and international meetings. interactions in generating new ideas and in- Building a high-speed rail network will creasing economic productivity. In-person also boost the economy by creating con- business and technology meetings are construction, manufacturing and operations sidered essential for building relationships jobs. The Midwest is well positioned to and trust. Consider the benefits gained by see growth in rail-related manufacturing students in Cleveland who come to hear capacity. a lecture from a university professor in The region already has a well-estab- Chicago, or of employees from throughout lished railroad equipment manufacturing the Midwest called in for a one-day sales industry. Those manufacturers are focused training in Indianapolis. on the production of diesel locomotives Companies could also take advantage and freight cars because, currently, almost of the new convenient travel option to all demand for rail equipment in North locate back-office support staff outside a America is for diesel- and freight-related major city, where office rents and costs equipment.28 More than 29,000 workers of living are lower, while keeping them are directly employed in the manufactur- closely connected to staff at a front office ing of railroad rolling stock in the United in a busy downtown. This kind of regional States, with thousands of others in the sup- integration benefits companies, residents of ply chains that provide parts and services outlying areas, and cities and towns that to those manufacturers.29 Two of the five can develop new connections to urban states with the largest number of workers economic engines. in the railroad manufacturing sector are Our current transportation system, Midwestern states: Illinois and Indiana.30 unfortunately, does a poor job of connect- Illinois and Ohio both have large num- ing residents and workers in the region. bers of rail equipment manufacturers. Il- The main highways linking cities within linois has 23 facilities that manufacture or megaregions tend to be congested—think assemble passenger and transit rail systems

Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest 13 and components, while Ohio has 13.31 Beyond the employees of the rolling If demand for passenger rail equipment stock companies themselves, jobs in other increases, Midwestern manufacturers industries are supported by the railroad would likely expand production beyond the manufacturing industry. In 2006, the freight equipment they currently make. In American rolling stock manufacturing December 2009, Transportation Secretary industry, beyond employing more than Ray LaHood announced that 30 firms had tens of thousands of people, paid out close committed to expanding their operations to $7 billion to purchase parts and equip- in the United States if they receive con- ment.35 A revived passenger rail industry in tracts for high-speed rail projects funded the Midwest would need to purchase glass, under the American Reinvestment and Re- seats, and other components from other covery Act. Among those firms are Ohio- firms, creating a new outlet and source of based Columbus Steel, Missouri-based revenue for other industries. American Railcar Industries, and other A high-speed rail system could create Midwestern firms.32 Yet, many firms will hundreds of thousands of jobs. Building be reluctant to build plants in the United a Midwestern rail system according to a States without evidence of a sustained com- plan articulated by the U.S. Department mitment to high-speed rail. of Transportation—which calls for 2,250 Streetcar manufacturing illustrates how miles of track in the Midwest—would domestic markets can support local busi- create close to 58,000 permanent jobs and nesses. In recent years, several American approximately 15,200 construction jobs cities, including Seattle, Washington, during a 10-year development phase. The and Portland, Oregon, have implemented overall boost to the economy is estimated at modern streetcar systems, using streetcars $23 billion.36 Building this better passenger manufactured abroad. In fact, no streetcars rail network would create more jobs than if had been made in America since 1952.33 the same amount of money were spent on However, sensing the presence of a grow- highway construction.37 ing market, an American firm, Oregon Iron Works, formed a streetcar subsidiary and has won contracts to produce streetcars for Portland and Tucson, with 70 percent of the components to be made in the United Increasing Transportation States and components coming from 20 U.S. states.34 Options Establishing a passenger rail manu- Americans are eager for alternatives to facturing industry in the Midwest could driving and flying. The dramatic growth restore some of the manufacturing jobs of ridership on Amtrak illustrates the de- that the region has lost. If Midwestern mand for intercity rail service. Over the last manufacturing is to achieve a sustained decade, Amtrak ridership has increased by employment recovery, manufacturers will 26 percent, with an additional 5.6 million need to begin selling to new markets, and passengers per year riding intercity rail.38 passenger rail can be just such a market, Despite the economic downturn, Amtrak requiring a variety of skilled workers. The served a record number of riders in the production of complex products like loco- last three months of 2009 and first three motives and passenger train cars involves months of 2010, up 4.3 percent from the not only the manufacturing of numerous same period a year earlier.39 components, but also maintenance, testing This trend has been particularly strong and other services. in the Midwest, where ridership on short-

14 Connecting the Midwest distance routes has increased 63 percent of smaller cities seeking to make long-dis- since 2004. Every single Midwestern tance flights must now often drive longer Amtrak route carried more riders in 2008 distances to major regional airports instead than in 2004, and a few key corridors that of hopping on a plane closer to home. A would be upgraded in the high-speed rail similar trend has taken place with inter- plan performed particularly well. Ridership city bus service, with Greyhound cutting between Chicago and St. Louis has more service to hundreds of communities during than doubled since 2004, as has ridership the past decade. Between 1960 and 2002, between Chicago and Carbondale. Nearly the number of buses leaving Chicago every 750,000 passengers travelled between Mil- weekday declined by 67 percent; in Kansas waukee and Chicago in 2008—up from City, the number declined by 77 percent. 460,000 four years earlier.40 Rural communities suffered particularly But for many residents of smaller cities heavily from this decline in service, as bus around the Midwest, there is only one prac- lines often saved money by eliminating tical way to get from city to city: driving. entire routes rather than decreasing the Since deregulation of the airline industry frequency of service across the board.42 in the 1970s, and especially since the ter- Passenger rail service can provide a rorist attacks of 2001, regional air service to new transportation option to residents of smaller cities has fallen sharply.41 Residents smaller cities and towns, linking them with

Figure 2: Percentage of Jobs and Residents Within 15 Miles of High-Speed Rail Stations in Midwestern States

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30% Jobs Residents 20%

10%

58 percent of Midwesterners would live within 15 miles of a rail station, and 61 percent would work within that same distance of a station, if a Midwestern rail system were fully constructed.

Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest 15 regional centers. And by creating air-rail Providing Comfortable, links at major airports, passenger rail can reduce the need for inefficient short-haul Efficient Travel flights while, at the same time, providing Americans’ growing frustration with driv- a better option for getting to the airport ing and flying are so prevalent that our for those residents of small cities that culture has even coined names to describe have lost regularly scheduled air service. them: “road rage” and “air rage.” Long- The proposed Midwestern passenger rail distance highway travel can be exhausting, system would pass through a number of frustrating, and subject to unanticipated smaller cities and towns, and provide either delays due to weather, construction or direct links to airports—as in Gary, Indi- accidents. Air travel can be just as frus- ana, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin—or place trating, with delays, crowded planes and passengers a short trip by city transit away airports, and new fees on everything from from an airport in larger cities. In Illinois blankets to luggage adding to travelers’ in particular, a number of small cities like ire—as anyone who has passed through Quincy and Decatur that are currently O’Hare airport during peak travel seasons served by air travel only because of the can attest. Passenger rail service is cer- federally subsidized Essential Air Service tainly not perfect—particularly given the program would be directly on or a reason- region’s antiquated rail infrastructure and able drive away from a high-speed rail stop, unresolved conflicts between passenger offering their residents a competitive travel and freight rail. But rail travel does have alternative.43 several inherent advantages over flying The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, and driving. a cooperative effort of nine state governments and Amtrak, estimates that a Mid- Work while you ride – Unlike time western rail and bus system would put 80 spent driving, time spent on a train can percent of the region’s population within safely be used for productive work or for one hour of a train or bus station.44 Even relaxing. Unlike airplanes, trains can op- more impressive, a majority of the Mid- erate without requiring passengers to shut western states’ residents would live and down electronic devices at any point, are work within just 15 miles of a high-speed frequently equipped with electrical outlets rail station.45 More than 15 million of the at every seat, and are increasingly likely to region’s 25 million jobs—61 percent of the have on-board wireless internet. As a result, total—would be located within 15 miles rail passengers can stay in touch with the of a station. Similarly, of the region’s ap- outside world. proximately 60 million residents, over 35 million—58 percent—would live within Creature comforts – Trains generally 15 miles of a station on the new system.46 have more leg room than airplanes and al- These figures speak to the remarkable low passengers to walk around during the degree of interconnection that a Midwest- entire trip. Rail travelers don’t worry about ern rail system could bring to the region. dehydrating air, their ears “popping” from The millions of Midwesterners living or pressure, restricted access to bathrooms working near train stops would have a new during take-off and landing, or seizure of option to quickly and conveniently travel shampoo bottles and nail clippers. Riders to meetings, sales visits and conferences, can spend time in lounge cars or dining while residents would have an easy way to cars for a change of scenery during the ride access metropolitan attractions or travel and generally have access to a wider range between cities. of food and beverage options.

16 Connecting the Midwest Downtown-to-downtown travel – Trav- 2007 fiscal year.47 Currently, much more eling to and from the airport can be an important factors reducing the reliability ordeal in and of itself for air travelers. Most of passenger rail service in the Midwest are airports are located far from city centers, conflicts with freight service and inade- requiring an extra drive or taxi ride, and quate track capacity. The line from Kansas passengers must check in at least one hour City to St. Louis, for example, is on time before takeoff. Trains, on the other hand, only 20 percent of the time, and congested go from downtown to downtown and tracks leading out from Chicago account generally require passengers to arrive a for many of the delays on trains to Illinois, half-hour or less before departure. Missouri, and Michigan.48 The good news is that fairly simple track improvements All-weather, reliable transportation – can remedy many of the worst problems Severe storms can disrupt the entire air that cause passenger trains to fall behind passenger network for days—affecting schedule. Missouri’s proposed improve- even travelers in cities where the weather ments to the line between Kansas City has been perfect—while also making driv- and St. Louis, for instance, are expected ing time-consuming, dangerous or impos- to improve on-time performance to above sible. Passenger rail service is not immune 80 percent.49 Improvements to the crowded from weather-related delays, but trains tracks around Chicago would also produce generally operate in a wider variety of dramatic improvements.50 weather conditions than airplanes or cars. Trains are often a preferred mode of Weather accounted for only 1.4 percent of travel, especially for distances between the delays reported by Amtrak during its 100 and 500 miles. A 2009 survey found

Passengers disembarking in Chicago’s Union Station are just a short walk from the city’s downtown businesses and attractions. Photo by Michael Kappel.

Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest 17 that if fare and travel time were equal, 54 would attract passengers who otherwise percent of Americans would prefer to travel would have taken cars or planes, thereby to cities in their region by high-speed rail, reducing global warming emissions and with only 33 percent preferring car travel cleaning up our air. Modernizing our and 13 preferring air travel. Of Americans tracks would also benefit freight trains, who had actually ridden high-speed rail, taking large trucks off of highways and an overwhelming 82 percent preferred it adding to the environmental and health to air travel.51 benefits of investment in rail. Passenger rail already emits less global warming pollution than cars or planes, and these savings will increase as the United States develops a high-speed rail network. A Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP)/ Protecting the Environment Center for Neighborhood Technology Passenger rail is a cleaner form of trans- (CNT) study showed that today, passenger portation than car or air travel, emitting rail travel emits 60 percent less carbon di- less global warming pollution and less oxide per passenger mile then cars and 66 health-threatening air pollution. Building percent less than planes. The faster diesel a high-speed rail network in the Midwest trains that would likely be used to upgrade

Figure 3. Carbon Dioxide Emissions per Passenger-Mile by Travel Mode55

0.7

0.6

Mile 0.5 -

0.4

0.3

0.2 Pounds of CO2 of CO2 per Passenger Pounds

0.1

0 High-Speed Train Conventional Cars and Light Trucks Regional Airplanes Passenger Rail

Note: Data assumes 70 percent capacity for all modes except cars and light trucks. High-speed train emissions assume diesel-powered vehicles. To the extent that high-speed trains are powered by electric locomotives using low-carbon electricity, emissions will be lower.

18 Connecting the Midwest current service would emit slightly more constructed. Once the system is operating emissions, but would still emit much less at full capacity, the Center for Clean Air than cars and planes and would draw more Policy and the Center for Neighborhood passengers than current passenger rail.52 Technology estimate that it will reduce (See Figure 3.) carbon dioxide by 188,000 tons of carbon Electric trains show the most potential dioxide annually.56 That is equal to the an- for global warming emission reductions, nual pollution produced by 33,700 cars.57 even using today’s carbon-intensive elec- Savings could be greater. Improvements tricity grid. For example, a passenger on to and expansion of intrastate conventional an electric train in Germany produces rail networks that benefit other rail and about 93 percent less air pollution than freight operations would further reduce someone traveling by car, and 91 percent emissions. For example, the Minnesota less than someone making the same trip by Department of Transportation, using this plane.53 The CCAP/CNT study surveyed broader approach to estimating emissions, the technology used on three different calculates an annual greenhouse gas reduc- popular electric train lines, in France, Ger- tion of between 318,000 and 526,000 tons many, and Japan, and found that all would from improvements planned over the next produce lower carbon dioxide emissions 20 years.58 per passenger-mile than a fast diesel train When tracks are upgraded for better when powered by the U.S. electric grid. passenger rail service, freight traffic needs One especially efficient train, used on the are considered as well, allowing freight German ICE line, would produce about trains to travel faster, more frequently and half the emissions of America’s current with fewer delays. Rail transport is much passenger rail system.54 Electric trains are more fuel-efficient than truck transport not only more energy efficient, but they for freight—various studies estimate that are faster, and could eventually be pow- train transport is three to nine times as ered at least partially with emission-free efficient as truck transport for the same renewable energy. Currently, the Midwest’s amount of freight.59 The resulting fuel sav- electric grid is heavily dependent on coal, ings add to the emissions reductions from which makes electric rail less advantageous improving passenger rail. Already, federal here than in many other places around funding allocated through the Recovery the world, but as renewable electricity is Act will allow for the construction of a increasingly incorporated into that grid, new railroad bridge for westbound trains electric trains will offer greater advantages out of Chicago, adding capacity at a criti- in terms of pollution reduction. cal chokepoint in the city’s rail network.60 By attracting travelers who otherwise Chicago is the nation’s largest freight rail would have taken cars or planes, building hub—40 percent of the nation’s freight a high-speed rail network would be much passes through Chicago at some point more effective at reducing global warming in its voyage—but also the nation’s most emissions than our current passenger rail congested rail hub, with freight trains system. A study undertaken for the Mid- sometimes requiring two days to pass west Regional Rail Initiative found that 5.1 through the city.61 Relieving that extreme million car trips and 1.3 million airplane congestion with track improvements will trips would be replaced by rail trips every offer serious environmental and economic year if the full Midwestern rail system is benefits.

Why Intercity Passenger Rail for the Midwest 19 The Midwestern Rail Network

ail is a critical element of the Mid- economy, and put forward a plan. west’s transportation network. Every In 2004, the Midwestern states, working Rday, 1,200 freight trains pass through together in the Midwestern Regional Rail the regional hub at Chicago, while passen- Initiative, finalized a plan for a Midwest ger trains carry millions of Midwesterners Regional Rail System that would serve the each year around and beyond the region.62 region’s travel needs in the 21st century. Chicago, the center of the region’s rail net- By repairing and upgrading service on work, is the fourth busiest rail hub in the current lines, and restoring lines out of country; more than 3 million passengers use for decades, the system would provide arrived or departed from the city’s Union every major city in the Midwest with fast, Station in 2009.63 In 2008, the region’s frequent and reliable passenger rail ser- short distance routes alone—those that vice on seven major branches joining in travel exclusively between Midwestern cit- the Chicago hub. With funding from the ies—carried 2.6 million passengers.64 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Those 2.6 million passengers represent the construction of this system will soon a remarkable increase over just the past begin in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and several years, but are far from the full other states. potential of a Midwestern passenger rail Since the Midwest Regional Rail System system. In fact, a completed regional rail was initially proposed, states have further system, integrated with other modes of developed their proposals for high speed transportation, could attract 13.6 million rail. The lines discussed in this report passengers annually.65 include all the routes incorporated into For years, the solution to congestion the Midwest Regional Rail System, plus on highways and in airports has been two others—a line connecting Cleveland, expensive expansion schemes for those Columbus and Cincinnati, and the North- two modes of transportation. In recent ern Lights Express in Minnesota from the years, however, Midwestern states have Twin Cities to Duluth—as well as the con- turned their attention to the benefits that tinuation of existing Amtrak service. high-speed rail could bring to the region’s The Midwest system would give the

20 Connecting the Midwest region’s residents a travel option com- ridership on the Midwest Regional Rail petitive with cars and planes. Travel times System is projected to be 13.6 million between major cities would be cut by 30 to passengers a year by 2025. Ridership pro- 50 percent from current rail service, and jections are inherently uncertain, but rid- would be faster than car travel. (See Figure ership of 13.6 million passengers would be 4.) Fares and travel times would also be four times the level of ridership if Amtrak competitive with air travel. The rail sys- were to continue its current level of service, tem would also reach all of the Midwest’s suggesting the potential for substantial major population centers—80 percent of ridership growth, even if the projection is the population of the Midwest would be overly optimistic.68 within a one-hour drive or bus ride from Building a new rail system will offer a train station.66 significant economic benefits to the Because of this increased convenience, Midwest, and strengthen the region’s

The Midwestern Rail Network 21 Figure 4. Travel Time from Chicago to Midwestern Cities by Car, Current Amtrak Service, and the Proposed Midwest Regional Rail System67

10:00 Auto Travel Time Current Amtrak Travel Time MWRRS Travel Time 8:00

6:00 Hours

4:00

2:00

St. Louis Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland Cincinnati Carbondale St. Paul

transportation infrastructure as a whole. that 152,000 person-years of work would be According to a study conducted for the created during the construction period, and Illinois Department of Transportation, that building the system would add more the project would deliver benefits equal to than 57,000 permanent jobs in the Mid- more than one-and-a-half times its cost, west.70 The Midwest’s manufacturing base, generating $23 billion in benefits, includ- which has been battered by international ing money saved from lowered highway competition, is perfectly situated to serve and rail congestion, shorter travel times the need for high-speed rail equipment, for riders, lower costs for airlines, and both within the region and nationally. reduced emissions. By 2020, the system With investments from the American would divert about 1.3 million trips from Reinvestment and Recovery Act, this air travel, and 5.1 million trips that would system is moving quickly from theory to have been taken by car.69 Removing pas- reality. By 2012, trains will be running senger vehicles from highways will make from Cincinnati to Cleveland, while new road-based freight movement faster. rail service from Milwaukee to Madison is In addition to these benefits, building the slated to begin as early as 2013.71 Recovery Midwest Regional Rail System would cre- Act funds will also flow to Missouri, Illinois ate tens of thousands of jobs, both directly and Michigan, giving the region a crucial in building and running the system, and push towards a 21st century passenger rail indirectly through development around system. With continued commitment and train stations and other economic growth investment, every state in the Midwest can fueled by the system. One study estimated draw on the benefits of such a system.

22 Connecting the Midwest Michigan

• The centerpiece of Michigan’s improved rail network will be 10 daily trains traveling between Detroit and Chicago in 3 hours and 46 minutes.

• Stations and facilities in towns like Dearborn, Battle Creek and Ann Arbor will be upgraded, and connections to buses and local transit will be improved throughout the system.

• Four daily trains apiece will reach Grand Rapids and Port Huron, helping to give the vast majority of the state’s residents easy access to the rail system.

The Midwestern Rail Network 23 Improved passenger rail service could also serves cities such as Ann Arbor, Dear- provide an important shot in the arm to born, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.75 Michigan’s tattered economy by making Upgraded stations are planned for the state a more attractive place to live Dearborn, Troy/Birmingham, Ann Ar- and do business and by tapping the state’s bor, Battle Creek and New Buffalo, which manufacturing base to supply equipment will be located within walking distance of for high-speed rail. downtowns or other important local desti- Michigan has already begun to see the nations, and serve tens of thousands of col- benefits of investment in improved pas- lege students. Several of those stations—in senger rail service. Improved controls in- Dearborn, Troy and Battle Creek—will stalled along the Detroit-Chicago corridor be constructed using Michigan’s share of allowed Amtrak to increase speeds to 90 a $244 million Recovery Act grant, which mph along parts of the line in 2002 and to will also pay for track improvements.76 95 mph in 2005.72 Between fiscal year 2004 Many stations will connect to local bus and fiscal year 2009, ridership on Amtrak’s systems, and the track improvements on Michigan trains increased by 24 percent, this line will also assist proposed commuter despite the economic downturn.73 rail lines between Ann Arbor, Detroit and The planned Midwest rail system would Howell.77 give businesspeople in Detroit and other The full Midwest regional rail plan for cities, college students in Ann Arbor and Michigan greatly increases the number of Lansing, and residents in many of the daily roundtrips and speed of the service. state’s largest towns and cities a direct and Eventually, 14 daily trains will stop in convenient connection with Chicago and Kalamazoo, with 10 continuing on to Ann the rest of the Midwest. The full plan for Arbor and Detroit and four breaking off at the Michigan lines would lower travel time Battle Creek to reach Port Huron. Travel between downtown Detroit and downtown time between Detroit and Chicago will Chicago to 3 hours and 46 minutes—faster be under four hours, and about 3 hours than driving and competitive with fly- between Holland and Chicago.78 Once ing (with its required waiting at the air- the full regional network is constructed, port)—and vastly increase the number of Michigan workers and residents would roundtrips and the reliability of all train enjoy some of the best ease of access to routes in Michigan.74 high-speed rail of any state. Fully 69 per- Michigan has applied for funds to make cent of Michigan residents would be able track improvements that would allow trains to access a high-speed rail station within between Pontiac, Detroit and Chicago to 15 miles of their home, and an even higher travel at speeds up to 110 mph, with on- portion of the state’s workforce—71 per- time performance eventually rising to 90 cent—would be employed within 15 miles percent from today’s 26 percent. This route of a station.79

24 Connecting the Midwest Ohio

• Ohio’s new “3C” line connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati received a $400 million Recovery Act grant and will be operating at speeds up to 79 mph by 2012.

• The new rail service is projected to attract 478,000 passengers a year, and save up to 15,000 gallons of fuel a day by reducing automobile use.

• Over time, Ohio could become an interregional rail hub connecting the Midwest and Northeast, which would generate $3 billion worth of economic development and support 16,700 jobs.

The Midwestern Rail Network 25 Ohio is currently served by two east- In time, this new rail corridor can be west passenger rail lines—the Lake Shore connected to improved Chicago service at Limited route along the state’s northern both ends of the line. Indiana has proposed tier, linking Cleveland and Toledo to a plan to connect Chicago and Cleveland Chicago, Buffalo and Pittsburgh—and a with 110 mph service, and though that second through Cincinnati and southwest- proposal was not funded in the most recent ern Ohio. However, there is currently no round of Recovery Act funding, it remains passenger rail line that links Ohio’s three a strong candidate for future investment.84 biggest cities—Cleveland, Columbus and The Midwestern states’ full plan for rail Cincinnati—and the level of service on also calls for connecting Chicago and existing passenger rail lines fails to take Cincinnati with a high-speed line across advantage of Ohio’s potential as the gate- Indiana. Ohio is also just beginning to way from the Midwest to the East. study the possibility of building a line to The first step to building the Ohio pas- provide 110 mph service from Detroit to senger rail hub is the reconnecting of the Toledo and on to Columbus.85 state’s major cities by rail. Ohio’s three More than any other state in the Mid- largest cities—Cincinnati, Columbus and western rail system, Ohio has the potential Cleveland—are arrayed in a line across the to host further high-speed links to other state, each under 150 miles apart from the regions. Cleveland sits about two hours next. Ohio’s priority is to connect these from Detroit, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. cities with each other with a new passenger Buffalo and Pittsburgh are candidates for rail service, the “3C” line. The line would high-speed rail construction as part of a then connect with the Midwest regional Northeastern network.86 Building these rail system in Cleveland and Cincinnati, links would make Cleveland a critical and to other planned regional passenger crossroads in an inter-regional network, rail networks.80 and give Ohioans quick and convenient ac- The full plan for Ohio’s 3C rail line cess to cities both on the Eastern seaboard would have eight daily roundtrips between and throughout the Midwest. By 2025, if Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, these interregional connections are devel- stopping in between in cities such as Day- oped, the high-speed rail lines running ton and Springfield. Traveling from one to and from Cleveland could attract 3.2 end of the line to the other would take million riders every year.87 about three and a half hours, faster than car It would also generate an enormous travel, and would be cheaper than flying.81 amount of economic activity. Building the Ohio has received $400 million of ARRA main lines of the system, from Cleveland to funding to get trains running quickly, with Cincinnati, Toronto, Detroit, Pittsburgh four roundtrips a day going at top speeds and Buffalo, would boost the region’s of 79 mph by 2012.82 This first stage is pro- economy enough to create 16,700 perma- jected to attract 478,000 passengers a year, nent jobs, generate more than $3 billion reducing car traffic on Ohio’s highways by of development near stations, and increase nearly 320,000 vehicle miles of travel and annual average household income by $90. potentially saving up to 15,000 gallons of It would also save about 9.4 million gallons fuel a day.83 of fuel a year.88

26 Connecting the Midwest Indiana

• A new rail stop at Gary International Airport would attract passengers away from overcrowded O’Hare, and offer Indianans a new option for long-distance travel.

• Cities such as Fort Wayne and Indianapolis will be connected to both Chicago and cities in Ohio by the proposed rail lines, offering opportunities for new economic ties in both directions.

• Recovery Act funds are paying for improvements to tracks leading out of Chicago in northwestern Indiana, the nation’s most congested stretch of tracks, and paving the way for future high-speed service through that corridor.

The Midwestern Rail Network 27 Indiana has close economic ties to the ity and solve other issues would make the states that border it—so close as to keep train line much more reliable, with 95 per- the state in perpetual flux over how to align cent of trains arriving on time.90 Though its time zones with its neighbors. It also Indiana’s initial request for funding on has cities like Indianapolis that stand to this route was not approved, the state will attract significant economic investment if continue to seek federal funds. improved transportation links them more The proposed link to Gary-Chicago closely to regional economic engines.89 International Airport would allow for Two major branches of the proposed direct, high-speed connections with down- Midwest rail system will connect Indiana’s town Chicago, creating another practi- cities to Chicago and Ohio. Cities in the cal alternative for travel to and from the northern half of the state would gain an Windy City that avoids the congestion of improved connection to both Chicago O’Hare and expands transportation op- and Cleveland, while Indianapolis and tions throughout the region. other central cities would sit astride a line Indiana has received a $71 million from Chicago to Cincinnati. A designated Recovery Act grant for one critical set of federal high-speed rail corridor also ex- improvements, the “Indiana Gateway” ists between Indianapolis and Louisville, project. These funds will make it pos- Kentucky, which could then connect with sible for more trains to travel through proposed rail service to Nashville and the crowded tracks entering Chicago in Atlanta, linking Indiana to the growing the northwest corner of Indiana. This economies of the Southeast. congested segment of track is the “single Current service from Chicago to Cleve- most delay-prone intercity passenger rail land across northern Indiana is inadequate. corridor in the country,” according to the Two daily roundtrips serve this corridor, Indiana Department of Transportation. and only 45 percent of trains arrive on time. Fourteen passenger trains already come Indiana applied for ARRA funds to im- through this area daily, in addition to a prove service in this corridor, which would commuter rail line and almost 90 freight add stops at Gary Airport, Plymouth, trains.91 The Indiana Gateway project Warsaw, and Fort Wayne on a route south will solve many of today’s congestion of existing service. To increase speeds to problems by making changes that allow 110 mph, trains would use modern “tilting trains to pass each other more easily, such train” technology to keep trips comfortable as adding tracks for passing and improving at the high speeds. Service would become signals. This will reduce the total amount more frequent, with hourly trains during of time per week that trains are delayed rush hour, including four express trips and on this route from 2.3 hours to 0.9 hours. four local trips. Travel from Cleveland to The project is an important step towards Chicago would take 4 hours and 22 minutes upgrading the corridor to meet the needs on express trains, meaning that trips from of the Midwest regional passenger—and Fort Wayne to Chicago could be roughly 2 freight—rail system, and will complement hours. Local service would be only half an other improvements being made to rail hour longer. Track work to increase capac- service between Chicago and Detroit.92

28 Connecting the Midwest Illinois

• As the Midwestern network’s hub, Illinois would have better access to rail than any other state. Nearly 70 percent of jobs in Illinois would be located within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station.

• Upgrades to the regional rail network would make a trip to Chicago faster by train than by car from St. Louis, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and India- napolis.

• The trip from St. Louis to Chicago is the only Midwestern rail route that is currently under study for “true” high-speed rail, running at speeds of up to 220 mph on a different track alignment than the current line.

The Midwestern Rail Network 29 Chicago grew to prominence as an upgrade service on the Dwight to Alton American city in the 19th century for one section of the Chicago to St. Louis line to main reason: it was the hub through which provide 110 mph service.98 Currently, trains much of America’s rail traffic flowed. To between Chicago and St. Louis never go this day Chicago has more lines of track faster than 79 mph, averaging just 50 mph, radiating from its center than any other city and only 73 percent of trains arrive on in North America.93 It is also the nation’s time.99 Eventually, further improvements fourth largest passenger rail hub, serving could increase top speeds to 110 mph over over 3 million passengers in 2009.94 the entire line, raising the average speed to As the center of the entire Midwestern 73 mph and allowing 90 percent of trains regional network, Chicago obviously has to arrive on time. 100 Another $133 million much to gain from high-speed rail devel- will allow the state to build a new overpass opment. Connections to Indiana, Ohio, that will ease congestion and delays on one Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota will of the nation’s most crowded sections of all pay dividends for the city’s economy. railroad in Chicago.101 The state has also At the same time, other segments of the committed $550 million in state funds to proposed Midwestern system will specifi- rail improvements.102 cally promote connections within Illinois. Once improvements have been made Proposed lines running to Missouri and along the length of the Chicago to St. Iowa, as well as the two lines that would Louis route, train service could be in- terminate inside Illinois, would touch a creased to eight roundtrips daily, with number of the state’s cities, making it the express trip times under four hours. This most densely connected state of any in the improved trip time would attract 1.2 mil- Midwest. With the complete network in lion passengers in its first year of service. place, a trip to Chicago would be faster In fact, commuters traveling between the by train than by car from St. Louis, Min- two cities’ downtowns would be able to neapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis reach their destination more quickly by and other cities.95 rail than by any other means. When the The passenger rail line between Chi- time spent traveling to and from stations cago and St. Louis has grown to be one of or airports, clearing security, and parking the most popular lines in the country, with cars is taken into account, the four and a the number of riders more than doubling as half hours that an entire train trip would Illinois has sped up service and added daily take is more than 20 minutes faster than frequencies over the past five years.96 Cur- flying, and half an hour to an hour and rently, more than 500,000 riders per year a half faster than driving.103 Even better, take Amtrak’s Lincoln service between the train riders would be able to work and use two cities.97 Hundreds of thousands more the Internet the entire time they were on ride trains on other Amtrak routes within a train. Illinois, connecting Chicago with Gales- The long term vision is for an even burg, Quincy, Carbondale, Champaign and faster rail connection between St. Louis other cities and towns. and Chicago, the Midwestern rail route The arrival of Recovery Act grants that is currently under study as the van- will allow the state to begin investing in guard for conversion to “true” high-speed rail improvements to provide even better rail, running at speeds of up to 220 mph. service to passengers on the Chicago- The proposed line would bring passengers St. Louis line and to other communities from Chicago to St. Louis in less than around the state. two hours.104 The express high-speed line, Illinois has received $1.1 billion to which would be electrified, would run on

30 Connecting the Midwest a different alignment than Amtrak’s cur- Other population centers in Iowa could rent service, traveling through Kankakee, be connected to Chicago by a 79 mph line Champaign, Decatur and Springfield.105 through Quincy. To the south of Chicago, Illinois plans The extensive network of high-speed to increase the speed of passenger service rail stations that would crisscross Illinois to Carbondale to 90 mph. under this plan would extend easy access Elsewhere in the state, Illinois is work- to a vast number of Illinois residents. ing with Iowa on a plan to rebuild a for- More than two out of every three Illinois mer passenger train line from Chicago to residents—72 percent—would live less than Rockford and Dubuque. Rockford is the 15 miles from a high-speed rail station if largest city in Illinois that does not have the full network is constructed. Nearly 70 passenger rail service.106 The train would percent of workers in the state would have also stop in Freeport and Galena, a big access to a high-speed rail station less than tourist destination, and the train station 15 miles from their workplace.109 Given in Dubuque has been built into plans to Chicago’s centrality as a business and redevelop the downtown area along the tourist hub, the easy access to the Windy Mississippi.107 Initial service would provide City this would provide would simplify one daily roundtrip between the cities, with business and pleasure trips for hundreds a total travel time of just over five hours.108 of thousands of Illinoisans.

The Midwestern Rail Network 31 Missouri

• Missouri has received a $31 million grant to improve rail service between St. Louis and Kansas City to operate at 90 to 110 mph.

• Upgrading service on the St. Louis to Chicago route would shorten travel time to under four hours. This improved trip time would attract 1.2 million passengers in its first year of service.

32 Connecting the Midwest Interstate 70 stretches across Missouri, in recent years. As recently as 2007, only linking the state’s two biggest population 63 percent of trains arrived on time, but centers, and is very heavily traveled. How- recent infrastructure improvements al- ever, I-70 in Missouri is also the nation’s lowed the number to climb to 92 percent oldest section of interstate, built for the in 2009.110 The improvements supported travel demands of a very different time. by the Recovery Act will build on these Improved rail service from St. Louis to gains, while paving the way for increased Kansas City will offer a new transportation operating speeds. Under the full Midwest alternative to residents throughout the I- regional rail plan, trains would run six daily 70 corridor, connecting workers, college roundtrips between the cities, with a travel students, and residents to a convenient time of 4 hours 14 minutes end to end.111 regional transportation network. Trains in the I-70 corridor would be Missouri has received a $31 million linked into the broader regional rail net- grant to improve the existing rail service work. From St. Louis, riders could continue between St. Louis and Kansas City, paving to Chicago on the 110 mph line. At the the way for faster and more reliable service. other end of the state, the rail line could Improved service will operate at 90 to 110 eventually connect through Kansas to mph, and trains should arrive on time more Oklahoma and Texas through Oklahoma’s often. The corridor has historically been planned high-speed line. plagued by delays, but service has improved

The Midwestern Rail Network 33 Iowa

• Trains operating at top speeds of 79 mph in Iowa and 90 mph in Illinois would enable passengers to travel from Omaha to Chicago in seven hours, faster than driving.

• Convenient rail service from Iowa City to Chicago could help avoid 345,000 trips by car annually, saving 1.5 million gallons of gas and reducing global warming emissions by over 6,000 tons per year.

• Once the Iowa City line is extended on to Omaha, one third of Iowans will have a high-speed rail station within 15 miles of their home and 38 percent will have one within 15 miles of their workplace.

34 Connecting the Midwest Today, Iowa’s largest cities have no town areas in the cities it serves. In the access to passenger rail—only one train Quad Cities, Rock Island County and the passes through Iowa, operating to the south city of Moline are planning to build a train of all the major population centers on its station for the line near downtown Moline’s way to California from Chicago. At the local bus station, as part of a development same time, the state has strong economic that includes new downtown apartments, ties to Chicago, particularly through its retail shops, and bike trails along the Mis- agricultural exports. Restoring passenger sissippi River.114 Iowa City is considering rail service would give business travelers a remodeling its former passenger rail station convenient way to travel back and forth be- for the line.115 tween Chicago and cities like Des Moines The fully developed line is expected to and Iowa City. attract more than 500,000 passengers a Iowa’s Midwest regional rail line would year. This will reduce car travel on high- restore passenger rail service across the ways between Iowa City and Chicago by Mississippi at Rock Island, initially reach- approximately 345,000 trips per year, saving the Quad Cities, Iowa City, and Des ing 1.5 million gallons of gas and reducing Moines. Eventually, this line would be global warming emissions by over 6,000 extended to Omaha through Des Moines, tons.116 Once the Iowa City line is extended giving Iowa’s largest cities regular and on to Omaha, one third of Iowans will have convenient passenger rail connections with a high-speed rail station within 15 miles each other and to Chicago and beyond. of their home; 38 percent will have one The full Midwest regional rail plan has within 15 miles of their workplace.117 This five daily roundtrips to the Quad Cities and dramatic turnaround will turn a severely Iowa City from Chicago, and four continu- underserved state into one in which a great ing on to Omaha at top speeds of 79 mph in number of residents can use convenient and Iowa and 90 mph for much of the Illinois fast public transportation to reach Chicago route.112 Iowa and Illinois have applied for and other Midwestern destinations. funds to establish 79 mph service to Iowa In the future, Iowa has plans for a much City, on tracks currently used by freight more extensive passenger rail network, trains, and Iowa applied for funding to plan with another east-west line continuing the route continuing on to Des Moines and from Dubuque to Iowa Falls and Nebraska, Omaha. Though this application was not and a north-south line from Kansas City to funded, Iowa can continue to seek funding Minneapolis through Des Moines, Ames in the future.113 and Iowa Falls.118 The line would help revitalize down-

The Midwestern Rail Network 35 Wisconsin

• Rail service will be restored from Milwaukee to Madison, connecting the state’s two largest cities.

• Constructing the full proposed 110 mph system will generate economic benefits including 13,000 new jobs in the state.

• Once the full planned system is in place, it will eliminate 780,000 car trips every year, saving 2.76 million gallons of gas per year.

36 Connecting the Midwest Wisconsin has already experienced the service between Madison and Milwaukee benefit of modern passenger rail service, and $12 million to make track and signal with its immensely popular Hiawatha line. improvements between Milwaukee and The Hiawatha brings commuters and other Chicago.123 passengers from Milwaukee to Chicago in This extension would connect the state’s an hour and a half, as fast as driving in good two largest cities, and extend the benefits of traffic conditions, with seven roundtrips a the Hiawatha line to government workers, day—and no need to battle traffic or look businesses and tens of thousands of college for parking in downtown Chicago.119 Partly students in the state’s capital. The full 110 in response to service improvements, this mph line between the cities would boost line saw a 63 percent increase in rider- Wisconsin’s economy enough to create ship from 2004 to 2008, when more than nearly 13,000 jobs in the state by 2013, and 766,000 passengers rode the line.120 would eliminate approximately 780,000 car Wisconsin’s Midwest regional rail line trips per year over a 10-year period, sav- would speed this service up to 110 mph, ing 2.76 million gallons of gas per year.124 reducing trip time to about an hour, and Today, travelers from Madison can choose extend it to Madison, La Crosse or Eau between the bus, car, and plane to travel, Claire, and the Twin Cities. Another but each of these either requires dealing proposed branch would eventually reach with Chicago’s traffic or the crowded Oshkosh and Green Bay. Daily roundtrips O’Hare International Airport. High-speed would be more than doubled, with 17 trains rail would avoid both of these obstacles, a day reaching Milwaukee, 10 continuing allow passengers to work while they travel, on to Madison, and six to the Twin Cit- and deliver them directly from downtown ies in Minnesota.121 The new high-speed to downtown at least 12 minutes faster than service created under the plan would place driving, and more than 20 minutes faster stations within 15 miles of 52 percent of than flying.125 Wisconsinites’ homes; 58 percent of the The benefits of the new line to Madison state’s workers would have a station within would be amplified by the commitment 15 miles of their workplace. that city has made to local public transit Wisconsin’s legislature has already al- and transit-oriented development. In Mil- located funds to buy new trains for the waukee, the train would continue to stop in Hiawatha line, two new “tilting train” the newly renovated Milwaukee Intermo- sets that can travel at high speeds and tilt dal Station, where passengers can transfer to allow trains to take corners quickly.122 to local transit to reach their final destina- The state has also received ARRA grants tions. A planned downtown streetcar line totaling $810 million to initiate passenger would also stop in this station.126

The Midwestern Rail Network 37 Minnesota

• Approximately 59 percent of Minnesota’s workforce would be within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station.

• Trains would make the roundtrip between Chicago and the Twin Cities six times a day.

• A trip from the Twin Cities to Chicago on high-speed rail service would be faster than driving.

38 Connecting the Midwest A Midwestern high-speed rail network same time, Minnesota plans to submit would link Minnesota more closely with applications for extension of Northstar cities in Wisconsin and points to the south rail service westward from Big Lake to St. through a rail line originating in Chicago. Cloud. Environmental studies and prelimi- As discussed above, rail service to the Twin nary engineering are also underway for the Cities would provide six roundtrips daily Northern Lights Express rail connection to Chicago. between the Twin Cities and Duluth.127 To make this service as useful as pos- Under the Midwestern states’ plan for sible, Minnesota has received federal funds rail, service from Minnesota through La to construct a multimodal transit hub at St. Crosse or Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to points Paul Union Depot, which would connect to south would operate at 110 mph and would the planned Central Corridor light rail line deliver passengers from the Twin Cities between Minneapolis and St. Paul. With to Chicago in 5 hours and 31 minutes—as this investment and the construction of a compared to 6 hours and 36 minutes to line from the Twin Cities to Duluth, 59 drive between the two cities, and 8 hours percent of Minnesota’s workforce would and 5 minutes on existing rail service.128 be within 15 miles of a high-speed rail Minnesota has completed a Comprehen- station, making business trips to Chicago sive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail much easier for many of the state’s workers. plan which calls for both completion of Service extension to Minneapolis multi- investments in the Midwest Regional Rail modal transportation interchange facility Initiative, Northern Lights Express and is also being planned for. Northstar service as well as reintroduction Minnesota is also seeking federal funds of conventional passenger rail service to for rail service itself. The state has received most major cities across the state.129 Over funding for preliminary planning studies the next 20 years, the plan provides for and will soon be in a position to apply for access to passenger rail service for over funding to begin engineering and design 85 percent of the state’s residents, either for its share of the Twin Cities to Chicago within their home county or an adjoining route in the next round of ARRA high- one. speed rail funding later in 2010. At the

The Midwestern Rail Network 39 High-Speed Passenger Rail in the Midwest: Going from Vision to Reality

he successful development of a Mid- designed. Planners should play to rail’s western regional rail system will re- strengths and keep their eyes on future de- Tquire participation by multiple levels velopment as they lay out new facilities. of government. In particular, states and Passenger rail stations should be lo- the federal government will each have a cated in areas that are reachable by various significant role in the process. As with the forms of transportation (including public highway system, federal funding will be transit) and that support transit-oriented required to make a high-speed rail network development in existing centers of com- possible. Beyond providing these funds, merce and population. Development of the federal government will need to hold rail stations in existing downtowns or in their recipients accountable, and tie the intermodal terminals (such as airports) Midwest’s actions into a broader national should be preferred over new “green field” strategy for rail. States, meanwhile, will development or “park-and-ride” station have primary responsibility for develop- areas. Consideration should also be given ing and implementing the plan for the rail to how the placement and design of the rail system. station can spur and strengthen economic development in the surrounding area.

Encourage Private Investment, but With Strong Public Guidelines for State Action Protections The Midwestern states have already begun, The private sector will play a crucial role in on their own initiative, to develop the plan building out the Midwest’s passenger rail for the Midwest Regional Rail System. system. Privately owned freight railroads already control the vast majority of tracks Build It Right in the region, including nearly all those If a Midwestern rail system is to realize over which passenger service currently its full potential, it will need to be well operates. The private sector could also

40 Connecting the Midwest bring necessary capital and experience to finally reflected in reality. New legislation the project of building the rails, trains, (one option for enforcing Amtrak priority) stations and other pieces of infrastructure could prove unnecessary if states are able that make up a high-speed rail network. In to negotiate enforceable agreements in the past, however, Midwestern freight and return for their investments. Investments passenger rail have come into conflict over such as the Recovery Act projects aimed at rights of way. decongesting rail junctions around Chi- Currently, Amtrak owns only a small cago should be accompanied by enforce- portion of the tracks over which its trains able agreements ensuring that the public operate. Most Amtrak trains travel over, receives the benefits of its investments. and are dispatched by, the freight railroads A coordinated effort to improve freight that own the tracks. Federal law guaran- rail capacity at the same time as passenger tees Amtrak preference over freight traffic rail is upgraded will provide immense on these railways, but the difference in savings compared to improving the two on-time performance between service on networks separately.133 A public-private Amtrak-owned rails and those owned by partnership might be the fastest way to in- freight railways is stark: on-time perfor- stall train control technology on all tracks, mance on the Amtrak-owned Northeast providing faster and safer service for both Corridor exceeded 80 percent in fiscal freight and passenger trains. year 2007, compared to 65 percent for Private-sector investment can play an other corridor trains and 42 percent on important role in getting high-speed rail long-distance trains.130 A Federal Railroad off the ground, particularly in areas such as Administration study found that certain developing vehicles, investing in stations, dispatching practices by freight railroads and providing amenities such as food, appear to violate Amtrak’s right of prefer- wireless internet, and nearby parking. In ence and that Amtrak’s preference rights some cases, state or federal governments are virtually unenforceable.131 Recent may consider public-private partnerships improvements in service in the Midwest, for the financing or construction of high- meanwhile, have come in part through speed rail lines themselves. In those cases, better coordination between states and it is critical that government evaluate such freight rail companies—the Missouri River potential agreements against the potential Runner train, for instance, has boosted its value of public-sector financing, construc- on-time performance significantly in large tion and operation. In other words, private part through coordination between the sector participation should be evaluated state of Missouri and Union Pacific.132 based on the concrete value that it adds, States should use their investments in rather than the expediency it might afford high-speed rail to ensure that the public by avoiding more politically difficult reve- interest is factored into the operation of the nue raising. Moreover, governments should nation’s rail network. One way to achieve not make promises to private sector entities this goal is by locating new high-speed rail that constrain the government’s ability to lines along publicly owned right-of-way, improve service on “competing” routes or in the same way we do highways. In cases to otherwise act in the public interest. All where expanding or improving existing documents related to private participation freight rail tracks will be more cost-effec- should be public record; important docu- tive than laying new tracks, the prospect ments should be promptly posted online for of government investment should be used easy accessibility; and only minimal infor- as leverage to ensure that the promise of mation should be considered proprietary, passenger rail priority on freight tracks is such as bank account numbers.

Going from Vision to Reality 41 Continue Collaboration Among Lay Out Steps and Priorities States The Midwestern states’ proposals for The Midwestern Regional Rail Initiative ARRA grants identified specific projects, proposal exists largely because of successful ready for construction, that would contrib- collaboration among Midwestern states, ute to immediate and long-term rail service coordination that has been more effective improvements. The relative importance of than in any other region of the nation. each new station and track improvement Continued coordinated and complimentary should be clear so that each step in the effort will be necessary for the proposal to development of the system results in steady succeed. States that have received funding improvement of rail service and builds on under the Recovery Act should recognize those before it. Because states do not have that their own rail investments will not the funds to undertake the construction realize their full value unless other states of a regional rail system themselves, they are able to construct their own sections of should continue to refine their plans to the regional network. States that have not present the most compelling case for ad- yet found funding to begin their projects ditional federal funds. should recognize that, for the first time, concrete steps towards the creation of a new Foster Transparency and regional passenger network are underway, Accountability and continue to advocate for their own seg- A large-scale investment in passenger rail ments of that network. In some cases, such should include unprecedented levels of as the rail line from Madison to the Twin transparency regarding how projects are Cities—which will be built in Wisconsin evaluated, how decisions are made, and but provide a benefit to Minnesota—cost how funds are allocated and spent. Trans- and revenue sharing between states may parency efforts should foster close public be necessary. scrutiny, including prompt disclosure of No one state in the Midwest is capable performance data, budgets, bids, route of developing a high-speed rail network choices, conflict-of-interest statements, and alone. The potential of such a network links to campaign finance data. Programs lies in its ability to link together an entire should be audited annually and overseen by region, following economic ties rather than an independently governed and financed state boundaries and producing a system public body with subpoena power. All in which the whole is much greater than audits should be posted publicly and all the sum of its parts. The governors of the board meetings should be public meetings. Midwestern states have shown strong lead- Potential conflicts of interest, such as those ership on the issue of building a regional involving contracts and land ownership, rail network. Strong public support by the should be identified and eliminated where Midwest Governors Association has helped possible. push an integrated regional vision that has Once the system is constructed, the drawn federal financial support. public should be given the information Midwestern states and governors and necessary to evaluate its performance. the Midwestern Interstate Passenger Rail Today, details on the performance of Am- Commission should continue to collabo- trak and other passenger rail lines can be rate closely in planning and constructing a difficult to locate and hard to interpret. A rail system, ensuring that their investments renewed federal commitment to passenger are complementary and build towards an rail should bring with it a new commitment integrated regional network. to collecting and disseminating data on

42 Connecting the Midwest the performance of passenger rail and to dependable base of demand from which to managing the implementation of projects build. As discussed below, this will require to maximize performance. a commitment from state and federal gov- The public should have access to com- ernment to provide stable funding for high prehensive performance measures for the speed rail operations and construction. high-speed rail program, with those mea- Ultimately, the full economic benefit sures tracked regularly using nationally of a revived passenger rail industry lies in standardized methodology. Among the Midwestern firms producing not just for information that should be collected and the region’s own needs, but also for the made available to the public are statistics world market in passenger rail equipment. on on-time arrivals, ridership, safety, and To that end, the Midwest should devise energy consumption. Various routes and and implement a long-term strategy for route sections should be benchmarked and building a vibrant, globally competitive compared with one another to identify best passenger rail industry. Local manufac- practices, underperforming routes, and turers are likely capable of producing the areas requiring investment. Data should equipment needed for a 110 mph network, be archived for comparison across time. but for higher speed trains, of the sort Public agencies and private contractors that are under consideration the route should be held accountable for delivering between St. Louis and Chicago, foreign projects on time and within budget. Private expertise will likely be required at first. As contracts should be subject to clawback the Midwestern states look towards further provisions to recapture public funds in the upgrading their rail network in the future, event of underperformance. they should consider how they can create a domestic manufacturing base for the high- Develop Local Manufacturing tech equipment necessary. For example, Construction of high-speed rail repre- South Korea licensed the technology for its sents a golden opportunity to rebuild the high-speed rail system from a French com- Midwest’s manufacturing base. By estab- pany, with the first trains manufactured in lishing a lasting market for passenger rail Europe and the rest domestically.134 Over companies, helping firms from the region time, Korean companies developed their acquire technology and expertise, and own high-speed rail technology, which helping workers develop the skills to enter they now hope to export to other nations this new industry, Midwestern states can building high-speed rail networks.135 develop a new foothold in an international manufacturing industry. The single most important step that policymakers can take to build a domestic passenger rail manufacturing base is to commit adequate funding to high-speed Guidelines for Federal Action rail over the long term. Midwestern firms The federal government will necessar- will only invest in new production facilities ily be the largest source of financing for and product lines if they are confident that high-speed rail construction. In filling there will be sustained demand for their that role, federal policymakers should products. By demonstrating an ongoing aim to bind state and regional projects commitment to building and operating together as pieces of a national vision for a high quality passenger rail system, the transportation, and also take advantage of Midwestern states can create an environ- their position to ensure that investments ment in which local manufacturers have a in high-speed rail result in the highest

Going from Vision to Reality 43 quality system possible. Midwestern lead- worthy of the world’s most economically ers—whether at the state level, or as mem- advanced nation. bers of Congress—should push the federal To begin to dig out of that hole, the government to hold to these principles, and federal government should invest steadily where appropriate commit their own states increasing levels of funding in passenger to corresponding actions. rail. We probably cannot hope to match the $300 billion China will be investing Invest Adequate Resources in its high-speed rail system between now America’s passenger rail system is in its and 2020, but we should endeavor to match current sorry shape largely because of the the level of investment provided by other failure to adequately invest in maintaining industrialized nations, as a share of GDP, and upgrading the system over the last in their rail networks. To prompt that com- half century. During a postwar period in mitment, meanwhile, states should demon- which America built tens of thousands of strate a willingness to fund rail operations miles of gleaming new expressways and within their borders at an appropriate level, hundreds of airports, our rail system was recognizing that the economic benefits of allowed to deteriorate such that today, at doing so well outweigh the costs. the beginning of the 21st century, we still Currently, America’s public investment rely, in some places, on infrastructure in inter-city rail is far lower than that dating from before the Civil War. Trips of other industrialized countries. Even can take far longer today than they did in with the unprecedented investments in the past; in 1950 travelers from Chicago passenger rail included in the American to Minneapolis would arrive in four hours Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the U.S. aboard the Olympian Hiawatha, but today government investment in the national the same trip takes eight and a half hours rail system is far below that of many Euro- on Amtrak’s Empire Builder.136 pean countries per capita and as a share of The worst, most costly mistake Amer- GDP. (See Figure 5.) These figures do not ica can make going into the 21st century include investments made by private U.S. is to not invest adequate resources in freight railroads, but in any case, to create upgrading and expanding our passenger a truly world-class passenger rail system, rail network. Failing to invest will neces- the United States will need to invest far sitate even greater spending on highways more than it has historically. and airports, deepen our costly depen- As imporant as the lack of funding has dence on foreign oil, and forestall the been the instability of funding for passenger economic growth that can result from rail in the United States, which has made it improved connections among people, difficult to to undertake long-term capital businesses and institutions. The first planning and to build the investor confi- step in determining an adequate level of dence necessary to establish vibrant domes- investment is to recognize that America tic industries to supply rail equipment. is digging out of a very deep hole when it To ensure stable, continuing funding comes to our nation’s rail infrastructure. for high-speed rail, the next federal trans- If the federal government had invested portation bill should include a dedicated the same amount of money over the last allocation of funds for passenger rail and half-century in rail as it had in aviation, the federal government should match state roughly $400 billion worth of upgrades investments in rail at no less than the same would have been possible. That amount 80:20 ratio it does for highways. By financ- of money would have been more than ing transportation projects equitably, states enough to build a high-speed rail network will be able to make rational transportation

44 Connecting the Midwest decisions based on the needs of their resi- Figure 5. Estimated Government Capital and dents, rather than on the chances of secur- Operating Support for National Railways (Passenger ing a lucrative federal match. State leaders and Freight) as Share of Gross Domestic Product 137 need to recognize the perverse effects that (2007 Unless Otherwise Noted) existing imbalances in federal allocations 1.2% have had, and advocate for funding mechanisms that will allow their states to weigh 1.0% costs and benefits evenhandedly. Funding could come from a variety of 0.8% sources, including a national infrastructure bank, “value capture” mechanisms to share 0.6% windfalls from increased land values near rail stations, revenues from cap-and-trade 0.4% programs for carbon dioxide emissions, air- 0.2% port surcharges, or an enhanced highway as Share of GDP of Share as trust fund augmented through higher fuel 0.0% taxes or vehicle mileage fees. US Italy Spain Britain France Austria Canada

Set Standards Sweden The federal government should play a Denmark Government Spending on National Railways on National Spending Government central role in developing standards for China(2009) high-speed rail technology and infrastructure in an effort to reduce the cost US (2009, withUS ARRA) of high-speed rail, improve replicability of successful projects, and maximize the infrastructure owned by freight railroads. efficiency of manufacturers. Ideally, the The Federal Railroad Administration is federal government would set technologi- requiring that railroads commit to specific cal standards for projects receiving federal travel time improvements for passenger rail funding that are specific enough to allow and to invest additional funds if those ser- for the development of economies of scale, vice outcomes are not met.138 In addition, yet broad enough to allow for competition excess track capacity that is not needed among various potential suppliers. immediately for passenger rail service must remain available for future passenger rail Ensure Accountability for use, even if that excess capacity was built Performance with a mix of federal and private funds. As referenced in the discussion about pub- While working cooperatively with pri- lic-private coordination, actions by freight vate freight railroads, the Federal Railroad railroads can have a large impact on the Administration should continue its efforts performance of passenger rail service. As to hold those entities accountable if their the federal government issues financial activities hinder expansion and successful grants to states for high speed rail, the operation of faster passenger rail service. Federal Railroad Administration has developed guidelines to ensure that federal Articulate a National Vision funds will benefit passenger service and Finally, the nation needs to articulate not just freight service. a vision for the future of America’s rail Most of the initial high speed rail network and measure progress toward the improvements that states are planning achievement of that vision. The Obama on undertaking will involve upgrades to administration’s efforts begin fleshing out

Going from Vision to Reality 45 a vision for high-speed rail in America, and ridership appeal of such a line. In but a fully developed vision would include addition, existing Amtrak service should a compelling national goal—for example, be upgraded by 2020 to operate at speeds linking all major cities within 500 miles of at least 90 miles per hour. Once such a of one another with high-speed rail by goal has been articulated, state and federal mid-century. In the Midwest, at least one leaders should measure progress toward it, 220-mph train route should be completed so that the public can gauge the success of by 2020 to demonstrate the effectiveness the effort.

46 Connecting the Midwest Methodology

his report describes a future vision for existing passenger rail stations or in close passenger rail service in the Midwest. proximity to downtown areas. The specific TThe lines and services highlighted in location of a rail line or station on the maps this report are based mainly on states’ sub- included in this report should not be taken missions for high-speed rail funding under as a recommendation of one route or sta- the American Recovery and Reinvestment tion location over another. Act (ARRA) in 2009 and early 2010, lines Estimates of the population and num- for which states are expected to request ber of jobs in proximity to passenger rail federal funding in the near future, and the stations are based on station locations as presumed continuation of existing Amtrak illustrated in this report and include both service along other corridors. current Amtrak passenger rail stations The location of all lines and stations is and proposed new stations in the Midwest approximate and subject to change. In most regional rail network. Estimates of the cases, the locations of lines and stations population or number of jobs within a 5, were based either on the documentation 10 or 15 mile radius of a station are based included with states’ requests for ARRA on the number of residents or total em- funding, or on documents from the Mid- ployment in Zip codes within that radius, west Regional Rail Initiative or individual as calculated using ArcGIS 9.2 software. state departments of transportation. In This method likely captures some popula- many cases, planning for new passenger tion and employment outside the specified rail service is at a very early stage and radius, due to the irregular nature of Zip routing and station location decisions have code boundaries. not been made. The maps included in this Sources of geographic information are report—and the data analysis based on as follows: those maps—generally presume that new passenger rail routes will follow existing • Locations of existing passenger rail rail corridors and that stations will be stations and rail services: U.S. De- located either in the same locations as partment of Transportation, National

Methodology 47 Transportation Atlas Database 2009, totals for employment were based downloaded from www.bts.gov/pub- on U.S. Census Bureau, County Busi- lications/national_transportation_at- ness Patterns: 2007, downloaded from las_database/2009/. www.census.gov/econ/cbp/download/ index.htm. • Employment: Employment by Zip code was based on U.S. Census Bu- • Population: Based on 2004 Census reau, Zip Code Business Patterns: 2007, data by Zip code included in ArcGIS downloaded from www.census.gov/ 9.2. econ/cbp/download/index.htm. State

48 Connecting the Midwest Appendix A: Percent of State Residents and Workers Near High-Speed Rail Stations

Table 1. Number of Residents Living Near a High-Speed Rail Station

Population

State Total Within Within Within 5 miles 10 miles 15 miles of station of station of station

Iowa 2,984,951 604,543 876,536 996,170 Illinois 12,802,169 3,717,279 7,093,252 9,159,171 Indiana 6,286,463 1,323,667 2,122,523 3,080,271 Michigan 10,203,775 3,776,478 5,560,501 7,075,062 Minnesota 5,214,616 1,224,264 2,003,408 2,533,911 Missouri 5,778,797 1,277,529 2,292,938 2,959,771 Ohio 11,473,286 3,135,172 5,224,072 6,352,413 Wisconsin 5,553,446 1,994,526 2,687,295 2,903,698 Total 60,297,503 17,053,458 27,860,525 35,060,467

Appendix A 49 Table 2. Percentage of Residents Living Near a High-Speed Rail Station

Population

State Percent Within Percent Within Percent Within 5 miles 10 miles 15 miles of station of station of station

Iowa 20% 29% 33% Illinois 29% 55% 72% Indiana 21% 34% 49% Michigan 37% 54% 69% Minnesota 23% 38% 49% Missouri 22% 40% 51% Ohio 27% 46% 55% Wisconsin 36% 48% 52% Total 28% 46% 58%

Table 3. Number of Workers Near a High-Speed Rail Station

Workforce

State Total Within Within Within 5 miles 10 miles 15 miles of station of station of station

Iowa 1,303,436 311,018 464,206 500,804 Illinois 5,398,634 1,994,236 2,920,771 3,663,682 Indiana 2,648,219 666,014 993,204 1,419,385 Michigan 3,687,441 1,565,075 2,167,140 2,634,248 Minnesota 2,525,900 748,000 1,224,771 1,492,306 Missouri 2,457,827 720,301 1,141,542 1,420,978 Ohio 4,782,141 1,643,883 2,415,915 2,834,784 Wisconsin 2,484,051 1,114,163 1,396,188 1,440,185 Total 25,287,649 8,762,690 12,723,737 15,406,372

50 Connecting the Midwest Table 4. Percentage of Workers Near a High-Speed Rail Station

Workforce

State Percent Within Percent Within Percent Within 5 miles 10 miles 15 miles of station of station of station

Iowa 24% 36% 38% Illinois 37% 54% 68% Indiana 25% 38% 54% Michigan 42% 59% 71% Minnesota 30% 48% 59% Missouri 29% 46% 58% Ohio 34% 51% 59% Wisconsin 45% 56% 58% Total 35% 50% 61%

Appendix A 51 Endnotes

1 U.S. Department of Transportation, statistics/airtraffic/annual/1981_present.html, Federal Highway Administration, “Public 13 October 2009. Road Length—2008 Miles by Functional 8 2008: Bureau of Transportation System” in Highway Statistics 2008, October Statistics, “Ranking of Major Airport 2009. On-time Performance Year-to-date 2 National Association of Railroad Through December 2008,” in Airline Data Passengers, U.S. Passenger Rail System and Statistics: Airline On-Time Tables, Maps, undated. downloaded from www.bts.gov/programs/ 3 Vehicle miles traveled in 1980 and airline_information/airline_ontime_tables/ 2008 (the latest year for which annual on 21 January 2010. 2009: Bureau of data is available): U.S. Department Transportation Statistics, “Ranking of Major of Transportation, Federal Highway Airport On-time Performance Year-to-date Administration, Annual Vehicle-Miles of Through November 2009,” in Airline Data Travel, 1980-2007, January 2010. and Statistics: Airline On-Time Tables, downloaded from www.bts.gov/programs/ 4 David Schrank and Tim Lomax, Texas airline_information/airline_ontime_tables/ Transportation Institute, 2009 Annual Urban on 21 January 2010. Mobility Report, July 2009. 9 Adie Tomer and Robert Puentes, 5 U.S. Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings America on the Go …: Long Distance Institution, Expect Delays: An Analysis of Air Transportation Patterns: Mode Choice, May Travel Trends in the United States, October 2006. 2009. 6 See note 4. 10 Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 7 Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transtats, 2008 T-100 Segment Data. Research and Innovative Technology 11 See note 9. Administration, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics, downloaded from www.bts.gov/programs/ 12 Center for Clean Air Policy and Center airline_information/air_carrier_traffic_ for Neighborhood Technology, High Speed

52 Connecting the Midwest Rail and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the pdf, 20 January 2010. 2.9 million cars: U.S., January 2006. assuming average fuel economy of new 13 1999: R. Clifford Black, “The Acela model year 2008 vehicles was 21.0 mpg, Express,” Japan Railway & Transport per U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Review, March 2005; 2007: Dave Demerjian, Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon “On One Key Route, Amtrak Is Up, Airlines Dioxide, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Down,” Wired, 21 March 2008. Through 2009, November 2009. Calculation assumes a typical vehicle is driven 12,000 14 Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Inter- miles per year. Airport Distance, accessed at www.transtats. bts.gov/distance.asp, 21 January 2010. 23 Amtrak: National Association of Railroad Passengers, Oak Ridge Data on 15 Todd Litman, Victoria Transportation Fuel Efficiency, downloaded from www. Policy Institute, Smart Congestion Relief: narprail.org/cms/index.php/resources/ Reevaluating the Role of Highway Expansion more/oak_ridge_fuel/, 14 October 2009; for Improving Urban Transportation, 19 June European passenger rail: ABB Ltd., 2009. Environmental Concerns Speed Growth 16 Ryan Haggerty, “All Lanes Will Be Open in Wind, Rail and Water Industries, on the Dan Ryan,” Chicago Tribune, 26 downloaded from www05.abb.com/ October 2007. global/scot/scot266.nsf/veritydisplay/ 0a17f88d79f4d5cac125763300351cdb/$File/ 17 City of Chicago, O’Hare Modernization Verticals%20media%20folder.pdf, 11 January Program, Learn About OMB, downloaded 2010. from egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/ home.do, 15 October 2009. 24 Illinois Department of Transportation, Application for ARRA Track 3 Planning: 18 8 percent: 2009 T-100 segment data from Chicago – St. Louis 220 mph HSR, 24 August Transstats. Expansion plans: Bill Clements, 2009. “Metropolitan Airports Commission Unveils Expansion Plans for Minneapolis- 25 Amtrak: Bureau of Transportation St. Paul Airport,” Finance & Commerce Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, (Minneapolis, MN), 30 March 2010. Amtrak Capacity Utilization, June 2009; Europe: HSR:UK, Frequently Asked 19 Stacy C. Davis and Susan W. Diegel, Questions, downloaded from www. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Robert highspeedrailuk.com/?page_id=14, 14 G. Boundy, Roltek, Inc., prepared for the October 2009. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 26 Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition of Urban Growth: An Historical Census, 29, 2010. 1987, as cited by About.com, Top 10 Cities of the Year 1900, downloaded from geography. 20 Calculated based on results from Deutsche about.com/library/weekly/aa011201f.htm, 15 Bahn, Travel Service: Advanced Search Op- December 2009. tions, downloaded from reiseauskunft.bahn. de/bin/query.exe/en?rt=1&, 5 March 2010. 27 Regional Plan Association, The Emerging Megaregions, downloaded from 21 Amtrak, Critical Link, Fall 2007. www.rpa.org/america2050/sync/elements/ 22 40 million barrels: Midwest High Speed america2050map.png, 15 December 2009. Rail Association, Fast Track America: 28 Yoshihiko Sato, “Global Market of Why Congress Must Fund High Speed Rolling Stock Manufacturing: Present Rail, downloaded from www.midwesthsr. Situation and Future Potential,” Japan org/fourbillion/Fast_Track_America.

Notes 53 Railway and Transport Review, 41:4-13, Commission, Amtrak Ridership in the October 2005. Midwest FY 2004 – FY 2008, 17 October 29 Based on data for the railroad rolling 2008. stock manufacturing industry sector, NAICS 41 U.S. Government Accountability Office, code 336510 from U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Airline Deregulation: Reregulating the Economic Census, 30 October 2009. Airline Industry Would Likely Reverse 30 U.S. Census Bureau, Railroad Rolling Consumer Benefits and Not Save Airline Stock Manufacturing: 2002, December 2004. Pensions, June 2006; Reconnecting America, Missed Connections III, July 2005. 31 Marcy Lowe et al., U.S. Manufacture of Rail Vehicles for Intercity Passenger Rail and 42 Joseph P. Schwieterman et al., DePaul Urban Transit: A Value Chain Analysis, 24 University, The Return of the Intercity Bus: June 2010. The Decline and Recovery of Scheduled Service to American Cities, 1960-2007, 24 32 U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. December 2007. Transportation Secretary LaHood Leads Conference on Domestic High-Speed Rail 43 Quincy, IL, would be directly on the Manufacturing (press release), 4 December train line; Decatur, IL (near Springfield and 2009. Bloomington), Marion, IL (near Carbondale), and Columbia, MO (near Jefferson City) 33 Jacob Wheeler, Apollo News Service, would all be within a short distance of a “American-Made Streetcars: Portland station. Data from U.S. Department of Company Rebuilds Lost Industry,” 8 Transportation, Office of Aviation Analysis, September 2009. Subsidized EAS Communities and Distances 34 Ibid. to Nearest Hub/Jet Service, October 2003. 35 U.S. Census Bureau, “Sector 31” in 44 Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, Annual Survey of Manufacturers 2006, 18 Midwest Regional Rail System: A November 2008. Transportation Network for the 21st Century, February 2000. 36 See note 22, Midwest High Speed Rail Association. The temporary jobs figure is 45 See methodology for an explanation of based on an estimate of 152,000 person-years how these figures were calculated. of work required to construct the system. 46 Ibid. Depending on the construction schedule, this might result in more jobs for a shorter period 47 Federal Railroad Administration, Root of time, or fewer jobs over a longer period of Causes of Amtrak Delays, 8 September 2008. time, than the ten year estimate. 48 Kansas City to St. Louis: Abhi Sivasailam 37 Ethan Pollack, Economic Policy and Audrey Spalding, Show-Me Institute, Institute, The Job Impact of Transportation “High-Speed Rail Predicted to Travel Much Reauthorization, 24 June 2010. Slower Than Advertised,” Policy Pulse, 12 August 2009. Chicago: Occupational Health 38 Amtrak, Connecting America: Safer, & Safety, Chicago Getting Congestion Relief, Greener, Healthier: 2008 Annual Report, 26 July 2010. undated; Amtrak, Amtrak Posts Second- Best Ridership in History (press release), 12 49 Ibid, Show-Me Institute. October 2009. 50 The White House, Office of the Press 39 Amtrak, Amtrak Ridership on Record- Secretary, High Speed Intercity Passenger Breaking Pace (press release), 8 April 2010. Rail Program: Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago (factsheet), 28 January 2010. 40 Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail

54 Connecting the Midwest 51 HNTB, America Thinks Survey: Many html on 9 February 2010. Americans Ready to Ride the High-Speed 63 Amtrak, Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year Rails, April 2009. 2009, State of Illinois, December 2009. 52 See note 12. 64 See note 40. 53 International Union of Railways and 65 Transportation Economics & Community of European Railway and Management Services, prepared for Infrastructure Companies, Rail Transport Illinois Department of Transportation, and Environment: Facts and Figures, Indiana Department of Transportation, November 2008. Iowa Department of Transportation, 54 See note 12. Michigan Department of Transportation, 55 Ibid. Minnesota Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Transportation, 56 See note 12. Table B-9, which projects Nebraska Department of Roads, Ohio Rail emission savings assuming locomotives Development Commission, Wisconsin are similar to the Danish IC-3 diesel trains, Department of Transportation, and Amtrak, which operate at a top speed of 99 mph. The Midwest Regional Rail System Executive data here includes the estimates for both the Report, September 2004. Midwest and Ohio networks. 66 Ibid. 57 Assuming passenger vehicles average 21.1 mpg, per U.S. Environmental Protection 67 Auto travel time estimated from Google Agency, Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Maps, downloaded from http://maps.google. Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel com, 13 January 2009; Current Amtrak Economy Trends: 1975 to 2009, November Travel Time and MWRRS Travel Time: see 2009; and that vehicles are driven 12,000 note 65. miles per year. Gasoline contains 19.6 pounds 68 See note 65. of carbon dioxide per gallon. 69 Transportation Economics & 58 Minnesota Department of Transportation, Management Services, prepared for Minnesota Comprehensive Statewide Illinois Department of Transportation, Freight and Passenger Rail Plan, Executive Indiana Department of Transportation, Summary, February 2010. Iowa Department of Transportation, 59 Midwest High Speed Rail Association, Michigan Department of Transportation, The Benefits: A Cleaner Environment, Minnesota Department of Transportation, downloaded from www.midwesthsr.org/ Missouri Department of Transportation, benefits/environment.html, 20 November Nebraska Department of Roads, Ohio Rail 2009. Development Commission, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and Amtrak, 60 Jon Hilkevitch, “High Speed Rail Plan to Midwest Regional Rail Initiative Project Move at Slower Pace,” Chicago Tribune, 27 Notebook Chapter 11, November 2006. January 2010. 70 Ibid. 61 David Schaper, “Plan to Unsnarl Chicago Railroads Hits Snags in Suburbs,” National 71 Ohio: Aaron Marshall, “Ohio Rail Fans Public Radio, 28 July 2008. Cheer, But Questions Remain About $400 Million Train Line,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, 62 Freight: Chicago Regional Environmental 29 January 2010. Wisconsin: Jason Stein, and Transportation Efficiency Program, “Grant Puts Wisconsin on Fast Track for About CREATE: Background, downloaded High-Speed Rail,” Wisconsin State Journal, from www.createprogram.org/about-history. 28 January 2010.

Notes 55 72 Amtrak, Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Service, 1 October 2009. Year 2007: State of Michigan, downloaded 85 Matt Leingang, “State Wants Passenger from www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/ Trains to Toledo and Pittsburgh, Too,” The MICHIGAN07.pdf, 15 December 2009. Columbus Dispatch, 15 July 2010. 73 Data from Michigan Association of 86 See note 80. Railroad Passengers, Historical Amtrak Statistics Collected by John DeLora, 87 See note 86. downloaded from www.marp.org/Amtrak_ 88 Ibid. stats.xls, 15 December 2009. 89 See note 84. 74 See note 65. 90 Indiana Department of Transportation, 75 Michigan Department of Transportation, Application for ARRA Track 1a And/Or Track Application for ARRA Track 2 Corridor 4: IN-Indiana Gateway, 24 August 2009. Program: MI-CHI HUB-CHI-DET/PNT, 2 91 Ibid. October 2009. 92 John C. Hudson, “Railroads,” in Janice 76 Nathan Bomey, “High-speed rail grants L. Reiff, Ann Durkin Keating, and James R. include $244 million for Detroit-to-Chicago Grossman, Ed., Chicago History Museum, Amtrak improvements,” AnnArbor.com, 28 the Newbury Library, and Northwestern January 2010. University, The Encyclopedia of Chicago, 77 See note 75. 2005. 78 See note 65. 93 Amtrak, Amtrak National Factsheet-FY 79 See Methodology. 2009, February 2009. 80 Transportation Economics & 94 See note 67. Management Systems, Inc., prepared for The 95 See note 40. Ohio Rail Development Commission, Indiana 96 Amtrak, Amtrak Illinois Ridership Up Department of Transportation, Michigan 20 Percent Since 2007 (press release), 24 Department of Transportation, New York November 2009. Department of Transportation and New York Department of Transportation, The Ohio & 97 See note 60. Lake Erie Regional Rail Ohio Hub Study, 98 Illinois Department of Transportation, July 2007. Application for ARRA Track 2 Corridor 81 Ibid. Program: IL – Chicago – St. Louis – Double Track, 2 October 2009; Illinois Department 82 See note 71, Aaron Marshall. of Transportation, Application for ARRA 83 478,000 passengers: Ohio Rail Track 2 Corridor Program: IL – Dwight – St. Development Commission, 3C “Quick Start” Louis – 2004 ROD Improvement, 2 October Passenger Rail Plan, www.dot.state.oh.us/ 2009. Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/ 99 Ibid. Pages/default.aspx, 21 July 2010. 320,000 vehicles and 15,000 gallons: Ohio Rail 100 See note 98. Development Commission, Application for 101 Jon Hilkevitch, “High Speed Rail Picks ARRA Track 2 Corridor Program: OH-3C- Up Speed in Midwest,” Chicago Tribune, 27 Quick Start, 2 October 2009. July 2009. 84 Indiana Department of Transportation, 102 HNTB Corporation for the Steering Application for ARRA Track 2 Corridor Committee of the Midwest Regional Rail Program: IN-Chicago Cleveland – HSR Initiative, Phase 1 – MWRRI Draft Purpose

56 Connecting the Midwest and Need Statement, September 2007. 120 See note 65. 103 Rick Harnish, Midwest High Speed 121 Larry Sandler, “Hiawatha Ridership Rail Association, Midwest High Speed Rail Dip Is Blamed On Recession,” Milwaukee Association Update, 7 July 2009. Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, 7 August 2009. 104 Illinois Department of Transportation, 122 Jason Stein, “Grant Puts Wisconsin on Application for ARRA Track 3 Planning: Fast Track for High-Speed Rail,” Wisconsin Chicago – St. Louis 220 mph HSR, 24 August State Journal, 28 January 2010. 2009. 123 Wisconsin Office of the Governor, 105 M.W. Franke and R.P. Hoffman, Amtrak, Governor Doyle Submits Application for Feasibility Report on Proposed Amtrak High-Speed Rail Line to Federal Railroad Service Chicago-Rockford-Galena-Dubuque, Administration (press release), 2 October 2009. 22 June 2007. 124 See note 103. 106 Ibid. 125 Siena Kaplan and Kari Wohlschlegel, 107 Illinois Department of Transportation, Frontier Group, and Bruce Speight, Application for ARRA Track 2 Corridor WISPIRG, Connecting Wisconsin: Public Program: IL – Chicago – Dubuque Corridor Transportation Projects for the 21st Century, – IPR, 2 October 2009. June 2009. 108 See Methodology. 126 Minnesota Department of 109 Ken Leiser, “More People Hop Aboard Transportation, Minnesota Submits Amtrak Trains,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 20 Applications for High-Speed Intercity December 2009. Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program (press release), 3 September 2009. 110 See note 65. 127 See note 67. 111 Ibid. 128 See note 58. 112 Iowa Department of Transportation, Application for ARRA Track 2 Corridor 129 See note 47. Program: IA – Chicago to Iowa City – New 130 Ibid. Service, 2 October 2009. 131 See note 110. 113 Ibid, and Moline Centre, Downtown 132 Minnesota Department of Moline Centre, downloaded from www. Transportation, Minnesota Comprehensive molinecentre.org, 13 November 2009. Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan, 114 See note 113. February 2010. 115 Ibid. 133 “TGV South Korea, South Korea,” 116 See Methodology. Railway-Technology.com, downloaded from www.railway-technology.com/projects/ 117 Iowa Department of Transportation, koreatgv/, 11 January 2010. 2009 Iowa Railroad System Plan (draft), included in Iowa Department of 134 Breakthrough Institute and Information Transportation, Application for ARRA Track Technology and Innovation Foundation, 2 Corridor Program: IA – Chicago to Iowa Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giants, November City – New Service, 2 October 2009. 2009. 118 Hiawatha service: Amtrak, Hiawatha 135 Tom Vanderbilt, “Stop This Train!,” Service (train schedule), 26 October 2009. Slate, 15 May 2009. 119 See note 40. 136 Data based on estimates of rail spending

Notes 57 per capita from National Association of World Factbook: Country Comparison: Railroad Passengers, Per Capita Spending GDP, downloaded from www.cia.gov/library/ on Rail in Other Countries, downloaded by publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/ www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/resources/ 2001rank.html, 11 January 2010. more/pc/, 11 January 2010, multiplied by 137 Federal Railroad Administration, High- 2007-2008 population figures by country Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) from United Nations Statistics Division, Program Grantee FAQs, downloaded from Population and Vital Statistics Report: Series www.fra.dot.gov/Pages/2377.shtml, 22 July A, Table 2, updated 15 December 2009, and 2010. divided by 2008 gross domestic product from U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, CIA 138 Ibid.

58 Connecting the Midwest