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Chair
Rep. Elaine Nekritz
Illinois

Vice Chair
Rep. Robert F. Hagan
Ohio

Financial Officer
Mr. Robert Polk
Michigan

Director
Laura Kliewer 

For more information, contact:
Laura Kliewer

Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission
701 E. 22nd Street, Suite 110
Lombard, IL 60148
Phone:   630/925-1922
Fax:   630/925-1930  
 
ResourcesMidwest High Speed Rail Benefits  
Midwest High Speed Rail Benefits

Increased Mobility
  • Faster and safer than auto travel, which kills 40,000 Americans each year.
  • As fast as air travel on a door-to-door basis, but more affordable, convenient and comfortable.
  • Keeps running in virtually all weather.
  • A viable travel choice for an aging population.
  • Projected to draw 8 million riders annually, making rail service almost as popular as regional air travel.
Complements other transportation modes
  • Convenient service to most of the region's major airports, allowing residents of smaller communities the benefits of affordable long-distance travel.
  • Supports commuter and light rail. In Chicago, for example, high-speed trains will share Union Station with METRA commuter trains, increasing ridership of both.
  • Both American and Lufthansa Airlines have joint marketing programs with European high-speed railroads.
Less Congestion
  • Americans waste $60 billion per year in time and fuel due to airport and road congestion.
  • A single railroad track can carry as many people as a ten-lane highway at a fraction of the cost.
  • Cleaner Air and Less Sprawl
  • Trains use much less energy and cause less air pollution per passenger than cars or planes.
  • Downtown train stations will encourage development in city and town centers, counteracting suburban sprawl.
  • Less need for new highways and airports.
  • Paris' Saint-Lazare train station handles 2.5 times as many passengers as Chicago's O'Hare airport, using only a fraction of the space.
New Jobs and Economic Growth
  • 15,000 jobs during construction, and 2,000 permanent jobs during operation.
  • $9.1 billion in new economic activity.
  • Stations become magnets for economic development.
  • Promotes tourism and intra-regional economy.
Cost-Effective
  • Costs just $1 million per mile — less than 1/10th the cost of highway construction.
  • Once built, high-speed rail in the Midwest will pay for itself.
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Secretariat services provided by The Council of State Governments' Midwestern Office

Secretariat services provided by
The Council of State Governments'
Midwestern Office

 
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