Amtrak resuming full rail service across Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Amtrak is resuming full passenger rail service across Illinois as the number of COVID-19 cases are falling.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week that the full long-distance interstate schedule restores service on four state-sponsored lines.

Service on the Hiawatha line between Milwaukee and Chicago resumes on Sunday. Routes connecting Chicago and Quincy, Chicago and Carbondale and Chicago and St. Louis will operate at full capacity by the middle of July. Tickets for travel on those lines can be reserved now.

Amtrak has stations in 30 Illinois communities, and served over 1 million riders per year before the coronavirus pandemic.

Pritzker's office says an Illinois capital development program includes $1.1 billion for rail improvements, including $78 million to upgrade rail crossings and improve safety.