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News

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission’s work runs the gamut, from promoting state and regional passenger rail plans and projects to influencing federal policy. See and follow the latest MIPRC news and updates here. 

New video lays out MIPRC's vision for Midwest passenger rail

New video lays out MIPRC's vision for Midwest passenger rail

11/25/2019

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission has released a first-ever video explaining our states' vision to protect and expand passenger rail service in the Midwest.
Midwest ridership sustaining strong 10-year growth

Midwest ridership sustaining strong 10-year growth

11/21/2019

Passenger rail ridership in the Midwest maintained strong overall growth over the decade from federal fiscal years 2009 to 2019, according to MIPRC’s annual evaluation of Amtrak data. Ridership on state-supported corridor services rose 14 percent over the 10 years from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2009 to FFY 2019, while ridership on the region’s long-distance trains rose five percent in the same period.
MIPRC holds Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., to amplify Midwest's voice as FAST Act renewal begins

MIPRC holds Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., to amplify Midwest's voice as FAST Act renewal begins

10/31/2019

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission combined its annual meeting and visit to Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., this October to amplify the region’s voice as Congress begins discussing renewal of the law that sets federal policy and authorizes spending on surface transportation (the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation [FAST] Act of 2015, which expires in 2020).

MIPRC urges Congress to strongly support passenger rail funding in federal 2020 budget

MIPRC urges Congress to strongly support passenger rail funding in federal 2020 budget

4/30/2019

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission on April 26 submitted written  “outside witness testimony” to the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies regarding appropriations to the U.S. Department of Transportation and to Amtrak for Federal Fiscal Year 2020.
Midwest maintains long-term passenger rail ridership growth

Midwest maintains long-term passenger rail ridership growth

12/5/2018

Ridership and ticket revenue on state-supported passenger trains in the Midwest enjoyed robust growth over the 10 years from Fiscal Year 2008 to FY 2018, according to an analysis by the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission.
MIPRC annual meeting reviews a busy 2018, looks ahead to a busier 2019

MIPRC annual meeting reviews a busy 2018, looks ahead to a busier 2019

10/18/2018

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission’s 2018 annual meeting convened in Milwaukee on October 3-5 to review developments since the 2017 annual meeting and lay the groundwork for what promises to be a busy 2019.
MIPRC to Congress, FRA, Amtrak: Sustain the federal-state partnership for passenger rail

MIPRC to Congress, FRA, Amtrak: Sustain the federal-state partnership for passenger rail

6/13/2018

There is more to Amtrak than the Northeast Corridor, and good things are happening in the Midwest thanks to sustained federal investment in regional passenger rail. That was the message delivered last month when MIPRC commissioners and partners visited Washington, D.C., to meet with Midwestern members of Congress and federal officials.
Midwest enjoys strong 10-year ridership gains

Midwest enjoys strong 10-year ridership gains

2/9/2018

Ridership on both state-supported and long-distance routes in the Midwest grew on almost every route in the 10 years from Fiscal Year 2007 to FY 2017.
MIPRC supports Missouri's INFRA grant application to renovate the Merchants Bridge

MIPRC supports Missouri's INFRA grant application to renovate the Merchants Bridge

12/12/2017

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission last month endorsed the Missouri Department of Transportation’s application for a $73.1 million federal INFRA (Infrastructure For Rebuilding America) grant to help replace the 127-year-old Merchants Bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Venice, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri.
Siemens to build Midwest's new high-speed passenger cars

Siemens to build Midwest's new high-speed passenger cars

11/14/2017

Siemens will build 137 new, single-level passenger cars for California and some of the Midwest’s state-supported routes, replacing a bi-level design that failed federally-mandated crash tests, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced on November 8.
MIPRC supports region's INFRA grant application to untangle Chicago's railroads

MIPRC supports region's INFRA grant application to untangle Chicago's railroads

11/7/2017

On Nov. 2, 2017, the Illinois Department of Transportation – along with the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, and the region’s freight railroads – applied on behalf of CREATE for a $160 million Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant to help unplug one of the nation’s most frustrating rail bottlenecks: the 75th Street Corridor on Chicago’s south side.
MIPRC annual meeting spotlights regional connections

MIPRC annual meeting spotlights regional connections

10/17/2017

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission’s annual meeting came to Wichita, Kansas, for 2017; perhaps an odd choice if you consider only that the city – 50th largest in the country, 10th largest in the Midwest, whose population exceeds Cleveland, Ohio – doesn’t currently have passenger rail service. But MIPRC’s presence there on Oct. 9-11, and its emphasis on the importance of the regional passenger rail network and regional connectivity, may help change that.
New locomotives charge onto Midwest's state-supported routes

New locomotives charge onto Midwest's state-supported routes

8/29/2017

UPDATE (Sept. 15, 2017): The second paragraph of this post has been updated to reflect more accurate information about the Chargers' rollout.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, those are the long-anticipated Siemens Charger locomotives zipping along Amtrak’s Midwest state-supported routes.
MIPRC visits Congress to promote Midwest passenger rail

MIPRC visits Congress to promote Midwest passenger rail

6/2/2017

MIPRC commissioners met with 49 Midwestern Members of Congress and/or their staff during individual office visits in Washington, D.C. on May 23 to stress the importance of maintaining a strong federal/state partnership for passenger rail development. Commissioners also illuminated the growing demand for regional passenger rail in the Midwest, along with recent developments in track and equipment upgrades.
High-speed 'Charger' locomotives being tested on Midwest state-supported routes

High-speed 'Charger' locomotives being tested on Midwest state-supported routes

4/21/2017

(UPDATE, April 24, 2017): The Missouri Department of Transportation will give the Charger a test run along the state-supported Missouri River Runner route between St. Louis and Kansas City on April 25-26. The new locomotives are expected to go into revenue service on the route later this year.
MIPRC asks Midwest members of Congress to protect funding for long-distance trains

MIPRC asks Midwest members of Congress to protect funding for long-distance trains

4/7/2017

When the Trump Administration released its budget outline last month, it proposed eliminating funding for all of Amtrak’s long-distance trains for Fiscal Year 2018, and cutting $499 million for the popular TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant program immediately as part of the budget deal being negotiated now for the remainder of the current fiscal year.
FRA-led long-term study of Midwest passenger rail service now underway

FRA-led long-term study of Midwest passenger rail service now underway

3/27/2017

The Federal Railroad Administration has formally launched an 18-month Midwest Regional Rail Planning Study of how to develop a 40-year framework for high-performance, intercity passenger rail service in our region.
New Survey of Winona, Minnesota-Area University Students Echoes 2015-16 MIPRC Study’s Pro-Passenger Rail Results

New Survey of Winona, Minnesota-Area University Students Echoes 2015-16 MIPRC Study’s Pro-Passenger Rail Results

3/23/2017

A new survey of college and university students in Winona, Minnesota, finds that four in 10 respondents say they have taken Amtrak, more than half say they would ride more frequently if more frequent service was available, and almost two-thirds say they consider passenger rail service important to the nation’s transportation future.
MIPRC supports effort to land federal FASTLANE grant and untangle Chicago's railroads

MIPRC supports effort to land federal FASTLANE grant and untangle Chicago's railroads

CREATE Program's 75th St. Corridor Project would speed up Amtrak, Metra, freight lines

1/12/2017

One of the nation’s most frustrating rail bottlenecks lies on Chicago’s south side: the 75th Street Corridor, encompassing six of the nation’s seven Class I freight railroads, two of Chicago’s Metra commuter rail lines, and Amtrak’s intercity service.
Midwest Amtrak ridership shows a mixed bag, but with mostly positive trends

Midwest Amtrak ridership shows a mixed bag, but with mostly positive trends

12/5/2016

Ridership on seven of nine state-supported Amtrak routes in the Midwest grew by leaps and bounds over the last 10 fiscal years, but has dropped during the last five — a situation that state officials attribute at least in part to construction projects that aim to increase ridership and improve travel times over the long term.

While total ridership on the region’s routes grew 42 percent from fiscal years 2006 to 2016 (up to a total of 2,705,848 passengers), it dropped 8 percent from FY 2011 to FY 2016. Corridor improvement projects got underway after 2011, when federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 began flowing to state departments of transportation.

However, ridership figures for October 2016, released just before Thanksgiving, show that shorter-term regional trend may be starting to reverse – the Midwest’s state-supported routes carried 224,043 passengers in October, an increase of more than three percent (7,115 passengers) over October 2015.
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Contact Us

Midwest Interstate Passenger
Rail Commission
701 E. 22nd Street, Suite 110
Lombard, IL 60148

Phone: 630/925-1922
Fax: 630/925-1930
Email: miprcATmiprc.org

Officers

  • Chair
    Robert Guy, Illinois
  • Vice Chair
    David M. Simon, P.E., Wisconsin
  • Financial Officer
    Rep. Sharon Negele, Indiana
  • Director
    Laura Kliewer
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