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| High Speed Railway to Be Constructed |
(IRN)--The high speed rail construction season is set to get underway soon.
Weather permitting, the second round of construction will upgrade approximately 96 miles of existing track along the Chicago to St. Louis route. This second phase of construction will see rail improvements from Elkhart to Dwight. Construction has already been completed from Alton to just south of Springfield and from just north of Springfield to Elkhart. Environmental studies are still being done in Springfield, according to Gov. Pat Quinn.
The upcoming construction schedule was announced at a railroad yard in Chicago Tuesday. Quinn says the upgrades will allow 110 mph service from Chicago to St. Louis by 2014.
Construction that's slated to begin in April will cause some service changes and will result in passengers taking express bus service for part of the route. Temporary crossing closures will also be experienced as crews make upgrades.
Trains traveling at 110 mph could be seen on between Dwight and Pontiac as early as next year. The state is also conducting a feasibility study on bringing 220 mph service to Illinois.
• Approximately 23,000 tons of rail material will be used for the 96 track miles.
• There will be over 250,000 new concrete ties installed.
• Approximately 90 crossing surfaces and approached will be rebuilt.
Grade crossing information will soon be available on the project website: www.idothsr.org.
Amtrak delays will be displayed as part of the ticket booking process at www.amtrak.com.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 03 23 11 by Newsroom |
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