New rail line decision might help the Q-C

By Thomas Geyer | Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Less than a year after Amtrak began its feasibility study, the rail line has approved a Rockford-to-Chicago route that will include continuing service to Galena and Dubuque, Iowa.

That quick decision bodes well for the Quad-Cities getting its own passenger rail service to Chicago in fairly quick order, said Jim Bohnsack, the Rock Island County Board chairman who also heads the QC Passenger Rail Coalition, or QC Rail.

QC Rail, the creation of which was announced last week, is meant to organize support for passenger rail service in the Quad-Cities.

“The quick turnaround of that IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) and Amtrak did to study and then decide on the Rockford route, less than a year, should move us up to get passenger service fairly quickly,” Bohnsack said.

Amtrak has learned that there is no profit in long-distance passenger rail service,

 he said.

“The short-distance route is where they get most of their customers,” he said, adding that a feasibility study for the Quad-Cities is under way.

“I think Amtrak can make a profit here and I’m sure the study will show that,” he said. “It will also attract business to the area and this area definitely needs the business.”

Dubuque and Peoria, Ill., are willing to cooperate with the Quad-Cities in landing a new Amtrak route to Chicago, he added.

“I’ve been getting so many responses,” he said. “There’s a big pool that would drive from Muscatine (Iowa) and Aledo (Ill.) to use rail service.”

It is hoped that Amtrak and the IDOT can make as quick a decision in favor of rail service for the Quad-Cities as they did for Rockford, he added.

“We’re pretty enthused,” Bohnsack said. “We want to keep the momentum for it going.”

Thomas Geyer can be contacted at

(563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.