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On Friday, Amtrak marked a milestone on its Chicago-St. Louis track upgrade project when it operated a train at 110 mph along a 15-mile demonstration segment between Dwight and Pontiac, Ill.

The track segment now features infrastructure improvements, state-of-the-art signaling, and "significant technological and safety advancements," according to an Amtrak press release. GE Transportation has installed its Incremental Train Control System along the corridor.

The project is part of a larger improvement program under way between Chicago and St. Louis that will enable Amtrak to operate trains at higher speeds. The improvements are being funded through the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program.

The demonstration train operated between the soon-to-be-renovated Joliet Station and the new Normal multi-modal station, which has attracted more than $200 million in private investments to Normal's downtown area. Future rail investments along the Chicago-St. Louis corridor are expected to spur economic activity in Springfield, Dwight, Pontiac, Lincoln, Carlinville, Alton and Joliet, where new or renovated stations are under development or in the planning phases.

The 110 mph trains are expected to begin operating between Dwight and Pontiac by Thanksgiving; 110 mph service is projected to be in place along nearly 74 percent of the Chicago-St. Louis corridor by 2015, reducing travel time between the two cities by more than an hour.

The high-speed train demonstration follows a recent multi-state announcement to design and build 130 bi-level passenger cars for California, the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest, including the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor. A Notice of Intent to Award was given to Nippon-Sharyo/Sumitomo Corp. of America. Vehicles are scheduled to be delivered beginning in fall 2015.

In the meantime, the existing Amtrak Amfleet cars that operate between Chicago and St. Louis have been refurbished to include new coach and business class seating, new café cars and Wi-Fi service.

The Illinois Department of Transportation launched the improvement program in 2010. Crews from Union Pacific Railroad — which owns the tracks — have installed new rail, ballast and concrete ties. Additional upgrades include safer quadrant and pedestrian gates at urban crossings, gates at farm crossings, and new signals and road surfaces at crossings.