I didn’t see Monday’s Word on the Street column until tonight. Three days have passed but I’d like to comment anyway. Most of WOTS’s column is about local officials and politicians’ recent discussions about getting a rail link between Peoria and Bloomington, and possible changes to the plan.
But the proposal they’re talking up is a little different than the one most central Illinoisans are thinking of. Initially, this rail link was discussed simply as a spur — a line running from Peoria or thereabouts to Bloomington-Normal and perhaps connecting in with the high-speed rail line being established there now so people could change trains and get to Chicago or St. Louis.
At least Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Transportation Planner Kyle Smith acknowledge problems with this concept.
What Smith talked about Thursday wasn’t that, because early study results there from Amtrak were “less than spectacular,” Smith said.
You think? $75 million to build a dedicated, five-mile line from Norfolk Southern trackage at Bloomington through Union Pacific’s local yard to reach a point 600 feet away from Normal depot so shuttle train passengers can get guaranteed connections with Amtrak Higher Speed trains? “Less than spectacular” is being quite compassionate.
Instead, they’re now talking commuter rail, with seven stops eyed between here and the Twin Cities, terminating at a bus connection that would eventually take riders to the multimodal transportation center that serves as a stop on the high-speed Amtrak line.
Even Word on the Street sees the folly of this plan. Seven stops? A bus connection between the [East] Peoria-Bloomington commuter train and Normal’s Uptown Station (“multimodal transportation center”)? The new plan means even longer transit times and greater inconvenience. No wonder most people drive.
As I’ve written before, for practical reasons, I favor the old Prairie Marksman route used in 1980-1981. Same train, twice-daily roundtrip service to and from Chicago. Anything less, forget it.
- David P. Jordan
5 responses so far ↓
1 Erik // Feb 1, 2013 at 8:08 am
Where was the old station in East Peoria located? I can’t find anything as to the exact location of it. I did find it very interesting that the Prairie Marksman route lasted only 14 months and ended with 65 passengers per day. We’d be closing up a lot of things today if we kept the same standards of under-performing entities.
2 David P. Jordan // Feb 1, 2013 at 10:45 am
Hi Erik,
The depot was located just west of TP&W’s East Peoria Yard along Keayes Avenue. See http://goo.gl/maps/OA3A1.
The depot is behind the train (brought in for test runs) in this photo.
3 alex // Feb 1, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Wow, that is some tiny rail
4 Erik // Feb 2, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Makes sense, I was looking around that area but couldn’t imagine where it would be.
Two part question: Where would you propose a new station in E.P.? And the other, do you feel the demise of the P-M route would be do the location of the previous station?
The topography of EP makes it difficult to situate a station at a point where it is near several densely populated neighborhoods, and so I’m sure without the added convenience it could have made it an afterthought.
Also, for surrounding communities to drive, park, and ride it had to be the same conundrum as where we are at today of: do we drive/bus to B/N to take the train? As you’ve mentioned and is popular belief, once people are in their cars it is REAL hard to get them out.
5 David P. Jordan // Feb 2, 2013 at 4:53 pm
Hi Erik,
The narrow corridor between Farm Creek and Camp Street is also a problem. I’d say the best spot for a depot would be across from the former ShopKo building.
Illinois Prairie Railroad Foundation president Sharon Deckard and I discussed this option with Mayor Dave Mingus and Ty Livingston, the city’s economic development director. Sometime afterward, Amtrak officials were said to have looked at the location and actually liked it. The only drawback is that this involves yet another railroad, the Tazewell & Peoria.
None of this will work unless you can board a train at East Peoria and ride to Chicago Union Station without making a connection.
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