An article in the Rockford Register Star on September 19 confirms that the Illinois Department of Transportation is going to build the $275 million Metra extension to Rockford.
| Study: Thousands could ride Chicago to Rockford train each year Illinois officials returned to Rockford to reassure the public that passenger train service is coming back to Rockford and thousands could ride it |
The State tried for years to get Amtrak to build and run the line, but Amtrak declined.
State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Loves Park, is quoted in the article as saying, “I secured $275 million in our capital plan that we passed a couple years ago so the money is there.”
The article goes on to state that a ridership study found that as many as 301,125 to 438,000 rides could be sold annually.
Readers of this column will remember that Steve Willson projected the number of rides at around 40,000 per year based on Amtrak’s experience with its Hiawatha Line to Milwaukee.
Willson estimated the cost to taxpayers to be several hundred dollars per passenger.
Readers may also be aware of numerous local news stories about the RTA facing a “fiscal cliff” (their term) of more than $770 million and “drastic” service cuts (again, their term).
No explanation is given for how this expansion makes sense in light of the RTA’s financial crisis.
