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High-speed rail could boost the Midwest economy, reduce highway and airport congestion, reduce dependence on oil and protect the environment, according to a report issued today by the Illinois Public Interest Advocacy Group (PIRG).

Entitled “Connecting the Midwest,” the report analyzes high-speed rail potential in the Midwest and examines the benefits HSR could have on eight Midwestern states, including Illinois.

Among the key findings:

• As the Midwestern network’s hub, Illinois would have better access to rail than any other state. Nearly 70 percent of jobs in Illinois would be located within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station.

• A completed Midwest HSR network would create 57,000 permanent jobs and support 15,200 jobs during the 10 years that it would take to construct the project.

• Improvements on the Chicago-to-St. Louis line are projected to draw 1.2 million passengers in the first year of service.

• Traffic congestion costs major Midwest metropolitan areas more than $10 billion annually in lost economic output. Midwest HSR would reduce air travel by 1.3 million trips and car travel by 5.1 million trips per year by 2020, curbing congestion.

• An Amtrak passenger uses 30 percent less energy per passenger mile than an automobile, reducing dependence on oil.

• HSR would give people more transportation options. Fifty-eight percent of Midwesterners, or 35 million people, would live within 15 miles of a high-speed rail station; 17 million would live within five  miles of a station. More than one of every four jobs in the region would be within five miles of a station.

• The system would prevent 188,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year by replacing less efficient car and plane travel.

Illinois PIRG officials are urging Congress to invest adequate resources in intercity passenger rail and set performance standards to fully realize rail’s potential. They’re also calling on President Obama and Congress to articulate a national vision for high-speed rail, according to a prepared statement.

Illinois PIRG is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.