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6/13/2023
Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) yesterday announced schedule changes for Amtrak's Lincoln Service following the implementation of the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed rail project that enables trains to reach 110 mph.
Effective June 26, new Lincoln Service schedule changes will eliminate about 15 minutes from existing 90-mph runtimes and 30 minutes from the initial 79-mph schedule, state officials said in a press release.
"After many years of construction and testing for a nearly $2 billion investment, I couldn't be happier to announce that our transition to 110-mph rail service for the Lincoln Service trains has been completed," said Pritzker.
In addition to increasing speeds, the $1.96 billion project improved reliability and safety while providing upgraded and new stations. The project improved safety at 212 grade crossings by installing four-quadrant gates and loop detectors. Pedestrian gates and fencing were installed to prevent pedestrian accidents. Thirty-nine crossings deemed at-risk were permanently closed, state officials said.
The project involved coordination among IDOT, Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad. The project has resulted in Lincoln Service travel times "that will make a real difference" to riders, with trip times of less than two hours from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal, Indiana, and shorter than three hours to Springfield, Illinois, with end-to-end St. Louis-Chicago schedules of under five hours, Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a press release.
"Between the shorter schedules and having more than half of all the new state-owned Amtrak Midwest Venture rail cars now in service, we are completing a full makeover of this corridor service," Harris said.