Following earlier news of high speed rail funding being awarded to Illinois, Amtrak’s Senior Director of Government Affairs has shared the company’s support for the project:
“On behalf of Amtrak Board Chairman Tom Carper of Macomb, Joe Boardman, Amtrak President & CEO, and our 1,500 Illinois-based employees, we offer our congratulations and our support going forward.
“Since we’re talking economic development today, in Illinois we have an Amtrak payroll of more than $89 million and we buy almost $61 million in goods and services from Illinois-based businesses. Amtrak is a $150 million engine for the Illinois economy.
“Those numbers are certain to rise as the number of trains and routes we operate continues to grow with our state and federal partners here in Illinois, across the Midwest and around our system.
“We will enable more Chicagoans to do business downstate and more downstaters can get to Chicago and all it has to offer without worry about gas prices, tolls, traffic and parking. We’ll connect Illinois with more of the Midwest, faster.
“Our ridership is already through the roof, with 4.7 million-passengers using our Illinois stations last year. Ridership on the Chicago-St. Louis corridor was up 13 percent last year and another eight percent so far this year.
“That increase came despite disruptions last construction season. We’ll manage another big increase this year with the work by Union Pacific and the patience of our passengers.”
