Chicago-St. Louis high-speed line is actually under construction

In September, the state of Illinois started upgrading a ninty-mile stretch of track between Alton and Lincoln. Earlier this week that state, the US Department of Transportation, Amtrak, and the Union Pacific Railroad announced that they had come to an agreement that would allow the trains to run on time AND allow significant freight traffic in the corridor. The next phase of construction will start in the spring when the track between Lincoln and Alton will be upgraded. All upgrades should be done in the spring.

Federal Railroad Administration is holding public meetings

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued its Preliminary National Rail Plan. You can download the plan at http://www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/RailPlanPrelim10-15.pdf. The FRA is accepting comments until June 4, which also happens to be the date of their last public meetings. You can submit comments online at http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#docketDetail?R=FRA-2010-0020.

Here is the schedule of meetings that I have so far:

19 May - Kansas City, MO

20 May - Atlanta, GA

26 May - New York, NY

3 June - Salt Lake City, UT

4 June - Portland, OR - at the Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway from 1-5 pm

If anyone has any more specific information, I will publish it here.

I hope that someone from each city monitors the comments and makes sure that Congress and the FRA takes them into account. I may be able to go to the Salt Lake City meeting, if I can find out where it is.

(I am depressed about the state of the world today.)