Article updated: 3/22/2013 8:43 AM
Illinois to lead 5-state high-speed locomotive buy
- Article
By Associated Press
The Federal Railroad Administration has chosen Illinois to lead a group of five states hoping to buy high-speed rail locomotives for more than $800 million.
Gov. Pat Quinn made the announcement Thursday. The Illinois Department of Transportation will obtain the next-generation diesel locomotives on behalf of five states: Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. The money allotted will pay for 35 new locomotives and 130 bi-level rail cars.
Advertisement
IDOT will manage and oversee the procurement process.
About $1.5 billion in improvements to the rail line between Chicago and St. Louis are expected to enable speeds of 110 mph over 70 percent of the route by 2015.
Comments (
We are now using Facebook comments to offer a more inclusive, social and constructive discussion.
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the X in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.
