Plan for Amtrak service from Chicago to Rockford on hold

HUNTLEY, Ill. (AP) - A plan to restart Amtrak service between Chicago and Rockford is on hold.

The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1C8jrcg ) that a spokeswoman for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says the project is part of his review of state spending projects. Rauner signed an executive order freezing discretionary spending and temporarily barring agencies from awarding contracts without approval.

Former Gov. Pat Quinn last spring announced a $223 million plan to restart the service for the first time since the 1980s. Construction hasn't started on the line.

Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Guy Tridgell says state transportation officials spend $3 million on engineering before Rauner signed the order.

The newspaper reports the village of Huntley, which was to be a stop, spent $50,000 on engineering plans to build a train platform.

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Information from: The Northwest Herald, http://www.nwherald.com