advertisement

---

Today, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and the Illinois Congressional Delegation are sending a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urging him to strongly consider awarding federal high-speed rail funds to the state in the first round of grants.

“We believe high-speed rail funding will have the greatest impact in Illinois,” according to the letter. “The rail corridors in Illinois provide the best opportunity to develop a regionally integrated, nationally significant high-speed rail system.”

The proposed Midwest high-speed rail system, with Chicago as its hub, could include 3,000 miles of high-speed service and serve 90 percent of the 60.3 million people living in the nine-state region, the legislators said.

“A significant federal investment into this region could create a rail system that could carry nearly as much traffic as regional air service,” according to the letter.