Durbin pushes trains, not planes

With airlines cutting flights and jobs, travelers need a Plan B using ground transportation, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says.

The downstate Democrat introduced legislation Tuesday intended to encourage rail travel. It is aimed at replacing Amtrak's older train cars and revitalizing their manufacture in the United States.

The Train CARS Act seeks to encourage foreign train car builders to set up shop domestically and offers tax incentives to American companies to open manufacturing centers here. It also would provide grants to Amtrak to buy new equipment.