The latest example is the announcement of restored passenger rail service to Rockford and Belvidere in Northern Illinois.
"It's made a psychological boost to people it's nice to see some smiles on people's faces again," said Belvidere mayor Fred Brereton.
He went on to say:
their station would be downtown, near it's former location. Making it easier for locals to get onboard. "There might be some grant money to help construct the station we'll pursue every avenue we can, ironically it's almost in the same position where the train station used to be," Brereton said.
Governor Pat Quinn and IDOT rail chief George Weber emphasized job creation.
"We believe there's a good chance for job creation , its not only the direct jobs that will be created through Amtrak having to hire more people , but also the indirect jobs that will result in terms of economic development that we've seen in other locations where rail service has been established," Weber said.
During his Quad Cities stop, Quinn pledged to also bring back the Rock Island line to Chicago.
The Quad Cities Passenger Rail Coalition estimates the economic impact of restoring passenger rail.
• 550 - 825 jobs
• $11 - $16 million increase in household income
• $52 - $75 million increase in area property values
The Quad City region looks forward to passenger rail benefiting business, leisure, and commuter travel as well as the associated positive impact on the region’s economy, environment, quality of life, workforce attraction/retention, and job growth.
All across the state, cities are excited about the benefits of improving passenger rail service. Everywhere except Springfield, where some people would rather not have high-speed rail at all if it's on the 3rd street corridor (where it would drop off customers in the middle of the downtown business district). Why is that?