MOLINE–(ENEWSPF)– Oct. 21, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn was joined by U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joseph Szabo, Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig and local officials today to announce full funding for the Moline Transportation Center that will serve as a station for new Amtrak service between Chicago and the Quad Cities. The station project will create 750 construction jobs. The realization of passenger rail service in downtown Moline will support approximately 1,600 direct and indirect jobs.
“Throughout the state, we have seen transportation investments bring new jobs to communities,” Governor Quinn said. “This new station and new Amtrak service from Chicago will serve as a magnet for economic development for Moline and the entire Quad Cities region.”
The total station cost is $16.6 million. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) was awarded competitive federal funding for the Moline Train Station through Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Program this week. The $10 million award was one of only 75 projects funded through the US Department of Transportation (US DOT), which received nearly one thousand applications nationwide.
This summer, Governor Quinn identified the project as a top priority and directed IDOT to serve as the lead applicant. In total, the state will support the project with approximately $5 million Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan funding. $1.7 million was raised locally to serve as an additional match.
The new station will be built across from the existing Centre Station facility and connected via a pedestrian walkway. The facility will support passenger rail, public transit, car rental and water taxi, making it easy for passengers to move from mode to mode.
“This station was one of the final pieces to the puzzle of bringing passenger rail to the Quad Cities,” Congressman Hare said. “It will be an engine for economic development for the entire Quad Cities region.”
The project’s design and engineering phases will take place this winter. Construction will start in the spring, with the facility opening late 2012.
“Each TIGER II grant rewards true excellence, effective partnerships, and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars – and the fact that the Moline Multimodal Station is one of 75 projects selected from among the 1000 applications received, is a testament to its value,” FRA Administrator Szabo said.
The project is part of the vision to add Amtrak service from Chicago to Iowa City and ultimately to Omaha, Nebraska. In January, Governor Quinn committed $45 million to construct the necessary connection between the Iowa Interstate Railroad and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway that will allow for service to reach the Quad Cities. The construction of the connection, which will start next year, will create an estimated 440 construction jobs.
Service from Chicago will begin as early as two years from now. This will mark the first service to the Quad Cities since 1979.
The new station in Moline is planned to be LEED Certified as part of the “Green Line” concept for the corridor, which will serve as a model of environmentally-friendly service for the rest of the country. Trains serving the line will use many green technologies from Illinois, including biofuels and soy-based lubricants. Passengers will be treated to locally grown agriculture and an aggressive recycling program.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation is committed to building a network of passenger rail that creates jobs and serves the residents of a 21st Century economy,” Secretary Hannig said. “This project puts us one step closer to accomplishing that goal.”
Source: illinois.gov
