A letter to the Rockford Register-Star from Steve Willson:
The Rockford Rail Line Boondoggle
In a recent op-ed, Stephen Judd asserts, with zero evidence, that the proposed Chicago to Rockford rail line will be a success and produce tax revenue for the region.
The $275 million cost is taxpayer money.
Amortized over thirty years, the annual cost is over $17 million.
Based on Metra’s financial performance, annual operational costs will probably be over $3 million.
A ridership study justifying the line projects 300,000 to 438,000 rides per year, about equal to the entire population of the Rockford MSA.
Rockford and Milwaukee are about the same distance from Chicago.
Ridership on the Hiawatha Amtrak line from Chicago to Milwaukee was about 632,000 in 2025, down 5% from 2024.
As the Milwaukee MSA has six times the population of the Rockford MSA, the Rockford line will be lucky to generate 100,000 rides per year, especially since Van Galder already runs 15 buses every day from Rockford to the Loop for $29.30 versus the proposed line’s two trips per day.
If the new line matches Van Galder’s price, 100,000 rides would generate about $3 million per year in revenue, producing a $17 million loss per year, or a taxpayer subsidy of over $150 per ride.
