Tagged: Amtrak

Community leaders on the Amtrak line that runs through western Illinois hope to convince people to use the train for excursions within the region. They want to promote day trips and overnight stays along the line between Quincy and Princeton.

The hurdle that Fort Madison must clear to bring passenger rail service to Riverview Park is getting shorter.

Tom Carper of Macomb has completed his four-year term as chairman of the Amtrak Board of Directors.

Carper feels Amtrak enjoyed success during that period, though sometimes it was frustrating because the federal government has no dedicated source of funding for passenger rail service.

“So every year, we’re in the budget. So every year, people who don’t like passenger rail or whatever can take a whack at Amtrak. That’s frustrating,” Carper said.

Politicians in western Illinois want to make sure those in Washington DC know support for Amtrak reaches across the aisle and across the miles.

Republican State Representatives Norine Hammond and Don Moffitt, Democratic State Senator John Sullivan, and the mayors of four western Illinois communities (Galesburg, Monmouth, Macomb, and Quincy) gathered at the Galesburg train depot to urge Congress to continue funding for passenger rail.