Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque Line Marks Return of Passenger Rail to Rockford.

No Belvidere.

Trains will run at least one round-trip daily between Chicago’s Union Station and Dubuque, with stops in Elgin, Genoa, Rockford and Galena.

selection of routes was based on an independent study by the Decatur office of URS Corp., one of the country’s top engineering design firms. The analysis showed that the southern route through Genoa will require a $26.2 million investment in upgraded infrastructure between Chicago and Rockford. Similar improvements on the proposed northern route through Belvidere would cost $62.3 million, raising the total cost of the route to more than $96 million. The study also determined an estimated annual ridership of 76,357 on the southern route compared to 54,988 on the northern route.

. The full report can be viewed at www.dot.il.gov/DPIT/Chicago-Rockford%20Route%20Analysis%20Report%20FINAL%20101208.pdf

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