A three-car passenger train reached 110 m.p.h. Thursday during a demonstration of cutting-edge satellite technology that would, if all goes as planned, shorten the 5 1/2-hour trip from Chicago to St. Louis by two hours and revolutionize high-speed rail service nationwide.
Controlled by satellites and an Amtrak engineer, the train thundered along at speeds far in excess of the usual 79 m.p.h. limit imposed by federal authorities.
Transportation officials say the time has come for high-speed rail service. But questions of funding were unanswered.
Illinois and other Midwestern states have invested heavily in forming a high-speed rail network that would operate over nine states, with the system’s hub in downtown Chicago. The Illinois portion of the project has been estimated to cost up to $425 million, according to state officials. Illinois has spent $180 million over 10 years upgrading track for faster trains, improving safety at railroad crossings and installing sophisticated signaling systems, the Illinois Department of Transportation said.
The initial route on the high-speed rail network would lie between Chicago and St. Louis. But a 120-mile stretch between Springfield and Dwight will be up and running first. Track upgrades between Springfield and Dwight, which have cost just under $70 million so far, will be completed by the end of the year, transportation officials say, and high-speed rail service between the two is expected to be available by the end of 2003.
