Weigh in on high-speed rail

Is it a snail, a cheetah or somewhere between the two? That’s the debate over plans for 110 mph high-speed rail in Illinois between Chicago and St. Louis, and next week you can voice your opinion at a series of hearings.

The Illinois Department of Transportation will give details of plans for the route, including alternatives for a second track.

The 284-mile trip currently takes about 5½ hours now traveling at maximum speeds of 79 mph, and frequent riders complain that delays make it even longer.

The high-speed rail version would travel at speeds of 110 mph most of the time and reduce the time to less than four hours.

Critics say that’s nothing compared to European high-speed rail or Japanese bullet trains that race at more than 200 mph. But high-speed rail advocates say it’s a good start and that the project will create permanent and temporary jobs.

Illinois is expected to receive about $2 billion from the federal government to convert existing track to accommodate high-speed rail with two-thirds of the funding allocated for the Chicago to St. Louis route.

Right now, the route operates on a single track shared by freight trains and Amtrak. The plans presented at the hearings will include ideas for reaching higher speeds, adding a second track and a look at the impact on communities along the track.

All meetings will be from 4 to 7 p.m. and will take place: Wednesday at the Jacob Henry Mansion, 15 S. Richards St., Joliet; and Thursday at Union Station, 500 W. Jackson St., Chicago.

For more information, go to www.idothsr.org/.