$186M to fund Joliet-to-Dwight high-speed rail

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Updated: February 6, 2012 9:29AM

JOLIET — The federal government on Wednesday gave a $186 million boost to the future high-speed railway through Joliet.

The money had already been announced in May but was delivered Thursday after Illinois completed the requirements needed to get the high-speed rail funds first promised to Florida but rejected by that state.

Getting the money now means work can start in the spring on a section of the high-speed rail corridor running from Joliet to Dwight, said a spokesman with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The entire corridor runs from Chicago to St. Louis, and work was done last year on sections farther south.

Local work funded by the $186 million announced Wednesday includes:

an extension of a track out of Chicago that now terminates in Joliet.

construction of a passing siding, a short track used for trains to pass each other, near Braidwood.

City officials in Joliet hope to attract high-speed rail riders since the city will be the first stop outside of Chicago.

The city this year expects to begin construction of a new transportation center that would in part serve high-speed rail passengers.

Joliet City Manager Thomas Thanas called the latest funding announcement “great news for Joliet because it shows the federal government’s commitment to creating high-speed rail from Chicago to St. Louis.”

The Joliet transportation center is being funded in large part through a $32 million state grant awarded because of the city’s position along the future high-speed rail route. The $42 million Joliet project also is being funded with city funds and a $2.2 million contribution from BNSF Railway.

The latest federal money is the lion’s share of the $248.5 million cost for the Joliet-to-Dwight leg of the project. Union Pacific is contributing $20 million, and the state of Illinois is spending $42 million.

Trains in the corridor will travel 110 miles per hour.