The overall purpose of this project is to establish a second mainline track between Joliet and St. Louis to enhance the passenger transportation network within the Chicago - St. Louis corridor, resulting in a more balanced use of the modal components. The CN portion of the corridor between Joliet and Chicago is already double-tracked. The existing transportation network consists of highway (automobile and bus), air and rail (Amtrak) travel. Approximately 99 percent of the 35 million annual trips made in the Chicago - St. Louis corridor are accomplished through automobile and air travel. This project intends to establish a more balanced modal use of the transportation network by improving rail service.
This project would improve existing passenger train-freight train meet (i.e., passing) operations by completing the double tracking of the UP portion of the corridor between Joliet, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri, which would reduce delay, improve schedule reliability, and increase average train speed to meet the goal of a four hour trip time between Chicago and St. Louis. The project would also improve passenger service without adversely affecting existing and future rail freight service, allowing the establishment of 110-mph HSR service within the corridor and enhancing the passenger transportation network.
More than 90 percent of the over 35 million corridor trips have origins or destinations in Chicago or St. Louis. A more balanced transportation system in the corridor would provide travelers with greater mobility options. To achieve this, either a new transportation mode must be introduced, or improvements to an existing, less frequently used intercity passenger rail mode must be made. Reduced travel time, service reliability, and safety would attract travelers from automobile and air travel to a new or improved rail mode of transportation.
Reducing travel time and improving service reliability are paramount to increasing the viability of intercity passenger rail transportation. In order to be attractive, passenger rail must meet or better the travel time of auto travel on the parallel interstate freeways with 65 mph speed limits. A four hour overall travel time between Chicago and St. Louis is required to achieve that need. On-time performance, another key aspect of reliability, would be improved with the proposed project. Even with added passing capability, the existing single main track would not accommodate the additional frequency of proposed high speed passenger service and would not provide the operating flexibility required in view of the growing rail freight traffic. The project would improve travel times and on-time performance over existing Amtrak service. An increase in rail passenger ridership is projected to occur as a result of the project, as the dual mainline tracks are expected to result in an overall reduction in rail travel times meeting the four hour time between the corridor end points, plus improvements in the reliability and safety of rail service. The dual mainline tracks are also expected to avoid the operating conflicts for intercity passenger services resulting from the increased rail freight traffic anticipated to serve new intermodal freight facilities currently being constructed.