Illinois lawmakers back Quad Cities service expansion for Amtrak

Illinois legislators are indicating interest in supporting the potential creation of an east-west rail corridor to expand Amtrak service in the Quad Cities area, according to Illinois news media reports.

State lawmakers have expressed an interest in an east-west corridor that would offer Amtrak service between Moline/Rock Island, Galesburg, Peoria, Bloomington/Normal, Champaign/Urbana and Danville, Ill., according to a KWQC.com report. The Illinois Department of Transportation has requested that Amtrak study whether such a corridor would be feasible, according to a report on www.pantagraph.com.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Thomas Carper as a director of Amtrak's board, according to a White House press release. Carper served as a director from March 2008 to March 2013. In 2009, he was elected chairman.

In addition, Amtrak announced that Deputy Chief Daniel Dugan Jr. and Capt. Joseph Patterson have been stationed in Chicago to command Amtrak railroad police officers in the central and western United States. Both men spent long careers at the Chicago Police Department, where they were promoted through the ranks prior to joining the Amtrak Police Department.