Des Moines-Iowa City-Quad Cities-Chicago High-Speed Rail

[Ingersoll1978]

I thought the recent news about the Des Moines-Iowa City-Quad Cities-Chicago rail project sounds very promising. It's nice to see Culver back this initiative!

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 9905100332

Culver touts plan to extend train service
By JANET KLOCKENGA • jklocken@dmreg.com • May 10, 2009

After a brief train ride Saturday morning, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver promised spectators that he is on board with a proposal to extend passenger rail service from Chicago to Des Moines in the next couple of years.

"

We need to modernize our infrastructure statewide," Culver said. "We're going to keep fighting; we're going to get this rail line done in a couple of years."

Culver wants to extend service from Chicago to Dubuque, the Quad Cities and Iowa City, and then on to Des Moines, to eventually connect with Omaha.

Culver's I-JOBS bonding initiative includes $10 million for multimodal transportation projects in the state, including $3 million for expanded passenger rail service.

Also, the Iowa Department of Transportation will compete for federal passenger rail funds under the federal stimulus bill passed this year.

The governor said passenger rail travel is appealing to businesses interested in locating in Iowa, as well as to college students attending school along the proposed route. It is environmentally friendly and economical, he said.

[Ingersoll1978]

Decided to make this it's own thread separate from the DART facility (and it's labeled downtown as it appears the depot for Des Moines will be downtown). It will be the subject of lots of discussion over the next few years. I'm just esctatic about this proposal!

Also, added a poll on the front page...

http://www.absolutedsm.com/

[econboy]

Good news!

I support this type of infastructure upgrade not only b/c it will improve quality of life but also because it will help our business climate. As you know, I am pro-good business, and whatever can help business thrive is good for the state.

[Mastermind]

There are several threads on this topic in the QC, IC and Dubuque pages as well. Are you going to consolidate them, or is this one focused solely on the extension to Des Moines?

[Ingersoll1978]

There are several threads on this topic in the QC, IC and Dubuque pages as well. Are you going to consolidate them, or is this one focused solely on the extension to Des Moines?

This one will focus on the topic surrounding the Des Moines extension (and it's impact in Downtown).

[DMRyan]

From a downtown development standpoint, I'm curious to see what spin off this could have on the surrounding area. Previous plans for only a bus transit hub probably wouldn't yield much spin-off, but couple that with a rail station and you might have a little more synergy. The area originally slated for this transit hub is in a dead zone of downtown, but I'm thinking there will be the need for a parking solution for passengers, people waiting on passengers, people needing rental cars when they get here, etc.

The little tidbits of info I keep hearing from several people that are pretty well informed on how this stimulus funding thing is panning out keep hinting that this transit hub is looking more like a certainty everyday.

[spacebetween]

Good article on "bullet trains."
http://tinyurl.com/mx7ed2

[vauxhall]

Wisconsin and Illinois are certainly ignoring the naysayers and moving forward with high-speed rail projects, according to a Chicago Tribune article this morning. A tidbit from the article:

"New passenger trains capable of exceeding 200 m.p.h. will operate from Chicago to Milwaukee under a purchase agreement that Wisconsin officials announced Friday. . . . . . . . Amtrak's Chicago-to-Milwaukee line has experienced strong ridership growth in recent years. Plans call for increasing top train speeds to 110 m.p.h. from the current 79 m.p.h. and extending the high-speed rail corridor to Madison, Wis., and up to Minneapolis by about 2015."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 6087.story

Hopefully transportation officials in Iowa stay actively engaged with their counterparts in other midwest states to secure a place in the proposed midwest rail network.

[fostprei]

Living in Milwaukee, the high-speed train to Union Station in Chicago will be fantastic! There will also be an extension to Madison and eventually Minneapolis I believe.

It's a little pricy, but if you're in a hurry, not dealing with Chicago traffic is a huge benefit. Hopefully, the price can come down to a better level in the future with increased runs per day. $40/round trip now. Ideally, it would be in the $20/30 range, since Metra extensions to Kenosha are apx. $10-12 I think.

This would be a great thing for Des Moines going forward. I would love to have a 4 hour train ride from Des Moines to Chicago as an alternative to the 5-6 hour drive currently.

[Better Life dude]

This would be a great thing for Des Moines going forward. I would love to have a 4 hour train ride from Des Moines to Chicago as an alternative to the 5-6 hour drive currently.

As a resident of Des Moines, right now I'd settle for a 5 to 6 hour train ride from downtown Des Moines to downtown Chicago.

[Mastermind]

Living in Milwaukee, the high-speed train to Union Station in Chicago will be fantastic! There will also be an extension to Madison and eventually Minneapolis I believe.

It's a little pricy, but if you're in a hurry, not dealing with Chicago traffic is a huge benefit. Hopefully, the price can come down to a better level in the future with increased runs per day. $40/round trip now. Ideally, it would be in the $20/30 range, since Metra extensions to Kenosha are apx. $10-12 I think.

This would be a great thing for Des Moines going forward. I would love to have a 4 hour train ride from Des Moines to Chicago as an alternative to the 5-6 hour drive currently.

Isn't parking in dwtn chicago $30+/day. I am thinking of taking the train from MKE to chicago later this summer.

[Ingersoll1978]

$30 a day is cheap! LOL Before I moved out there in 2002, we would drive and park the car in the suburbs at a hotel and take Metra downtown to save money on parking.

[Mulder.DSM]

This would be a great thing for Des Moines going forward. I would love to have a 4 hour train ride from Des Moines to Chicago as an alternative to the 5-6 hour drive currently.

As a resident of Des Moines, right now I'd settle for a 5 to 6 hour train ride from downtown Des Moines to downtown Chicago.

I would too, as long as I could ride from DSM.

[MrMafia]

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20 ... 1002/1079/

[vauxhall]

Living in Milwaukee, the high-speed train to Union Station in Chicago will be fantastic! There will also be an extension to Madison and eventually Minneapolis I believe. . . . . . . . . . . This would be a great thing for Des Moines going forward. I would love to have a 4 hour train ride from Des Moines to Chicago as an alternative to the 5-6 hour drive currently.

At least twice a year I take a day off from work and head to Milwaukee on Amtrak and bum around the downtown. It's nice for a change in scenery and a lot less hassle than the constant hordes of people on downtown Chicago sidewalks. I can't wait for Des Moines to be linked up to Chicago so that I can visit some of my friends and family more frequently. I don't own a car and although I tolerate air travel, I'm a bit of a nervous flyer. I realize we are several years away from DSM to CHI rail service, but it can't come soon enough for me.

Now, how do we change the mindset of people who think they absolutely need to use a car to travel around the midwest (or even within Iowa) and can't conceive of a viable, eco-friendly alternative?

[vauxhall]

The Chicago Tribune had another article explaining how the upper midwest states are banding together and vying for passenger rail funds from the Obama administration to help build a midwest high-speed rail network. Here are some excerpts from the article:

"Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and the City of Chicago entered into a memorandum of understanding that commits the governments to coordinate plans to develop 110-m.p.h. rail corridors across the Midwest. . . . . . . . Several governors mentioned President Barack Obama's strong support for the Midwest high-speed rail initiative, which would consist of a network based in Chicago and eventually branch out 3,000 miles over nine states."

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 7777.story

[dsmurbanite]

Now, how do we change the mindset of people who think they absolutely need to use a car to travel around the midwest (or even within Iowa) and can't conceive of a viable, eco-friendly alternative?

$6.50 a gallon for gas will probably be the most important factor. I for one look forward to this rail system too, and hope that the day when my partner and I own one car between us and it spends most of its time in the garage is not too far off. I love public transit, but at this point it is a hassle and not efficient to use, like it is in many places. I lived for 8 years in San Diego with out a car, and it was the most liberating experience, but in DSM, if you want to get around, you need one. I honestly hope, and have been advocating to my council member and mayor the importance of DSM to think beyond auto traffic and to walkable neighborhoods and easily accesible public transit. I had never gone so far as to hope for high speed rail here in the midwest, and am now anxiously awaiting it to come to fruition. And also, I would suggest that it might also be in Iowa's best interest to look at running auxillary trains outward to some of the other smaller towns, for commuter purposes and also as possible econimic engines for future growth. At one time we had extensive inter-urban rail lines and think that would be good, we could then go on day trips to places like Pella, Knoxville, Ames, and many other towns that are very attractive places and could easily offer someone distractions from their everyday experiences in the metro, and possibly even pull in people from Chicago and other places to do exploration and more importantly inject much need funds into the cities and towns of our state. Oh well, probably dreaming but that would be my wish.

[Mastermind]

Now, how do we change the mindset of people who think they absolutely need to use a car to travel around the midwest (or even within Iowa) and can't conceive of a viable, eco-friendly alternative?

$6.50 a gallon for gas will probably be the most important factor. I for one look forward to this rail system too, and hope that the day when my partner and I own one car between us and it spends most of its time in the garage is not too far off. I love public transit, but at this point it is a hassle and not efficient to use, like it is in many places. I lived for 8 years in San Diego with out a car, and it was the most liberating experience, but in DSM, if you want to get around, you need one. I honestly hope, and have been advocating to my council member and mayor the importance of DSM to think beyond auto traffic and to walkable neighborhoods and easily accesible public transit. I had never gone so far as to hope for high speed rail here in the midwest, and am now anxiously awaiting it to come to fruition. And also, I would suggest that it might also be in Iowa's best interest to look at running auxillary trains outward to some of the other smaller towns, for commuter purposes and also as possible econimic engines for future growth. At one time we had extensive inter-urban rail lines and think that would be good, we could then go on day trips to places like Pella, Knoxville, Ames, and many other towns that are very attractive places and could easily offer someone distractions from their everyday experiences in the metro, and possibly even pull in people from Chicago and other places to do exploration and more importantly inject much need funds into the cities and towns of our state. Oh well, probably dreaming but that would be my wish.

I think at this point, only Ames & Cedar Rapids makes sense economically. I would also argue that they could or should have the Des Moines to IC Amtrak stop in the Amana Colonies, Grinnell and Newton.

[dsmurbanite]

I think at this point, only Ames & Cedar Rapids makes sense economically. I would also argue that they could or should have the Des Moines to IC Amtrak stop in the Amana Colonies, Grinnell and Newton.[/quote]
I agree, right now, but we should be looking to the future, especially a future with out cheap gas. But then again, with Hybrids coming on line and improving, this is probably just a pipe dream. I just am not a big fan of the auto and what it has done to our lives in many ways. It was just my thoughts and hopes, but I still hope to see a resurgence of the rail option. We subsidize the auto by building expensive freeways and highways, but then turn around and complain about any subsidies shown for rail. I just think that rail is a good option, as good as flying and driving. Thanks again though, I do see your point and agree, right now it wont, just a hope in the future and that we should be looking to.

[Ingersoll1978]

I think they really need to be careful how many stops they include. Newton and Grinnell are within 20 miles of each other and the Amana Colonies are about the same distance from Iowa City. With Grinnell College, I think Grinnell would have a good shot at picking up a stop (or Newton).

[Mastermind]

I agree, but they all have something to offer.
Grinnell-College students
Newton- Iowa Speedway
Amanas - Tourist spot

[SharpHawkeye]

I think they really need to be careful how many stops they include. Newton and Grinnell are within 20 miles of each other and the Amana Colonies are about the same distance from Iowa City. With Grinnell College, I think Grinnell would have a good shot at picking up a stop (or Newton).

Using the Chicago to Iowa City portion as a guide, I think there's a good shot that both Grinnell and Newton will be stops.

Princeton and Mendota are two smaller towns than either Newton or Grinnell and are only 24 miles apart--just 6 more than Newton and Grinnell. The QC and Geneseo are only around 25 or so miles apart. And, as Mastermind pointed out, both cities can make a claim as to the necessity of Amtrak stops there.

The Amanas I'm not so sure about. I'm not sure the government would be wild about having a dedicated stop for what is, in effect, a privately owned tourism site.

My guess for the route: QC--IC--Grinnell--Newton--DSM

[Mastermind]

The Amanas I'm not so sure about. I'm not sure the government would be wild about having a dedicated stop for what is, in effect, a privately owned tourism site.

I dont know much about the colonies, can you explain this?

[SharpHawkeye]

The Amanas I'm not so sure about. I'm not sure the government would be wild about having a dedicated stop for what is, in effect, a privately owned tourism site.

I dont know much about the colonies, can you explain this?

As far as I know, and someone may have to correct me on this, but I think most of Amana proper is owned by the Amana Society, the privately-owned company that is the descendant of the original settlers' group. Perhaps even down to the streets and roads.

[Mastermind]

Even if this were true, you would still have people coming into our state buying our products, staying in hotels, paying sales and hotel taxes, and hopefully spreading a good word.

[SharpHawkeye]

Even if this were true, you would still have people coming into our state buying our products, staying in hotels, paying sales and hotel taxes, and hopefully spreading a good word.

That's all true. And they can (and do) do all that after a cab ride from Iowa City.

I may be channeling my inner Speeder here, but it occurs to me that just as people might object to having federally subsidized Amtrak service Disneyland, there are those who might object to having Amtrak service the Amana Colonies. But, you never know, I could be wrong. We'll just have to wait for the Amtrak report--whenever it comes out.

[Mastermind]

I wonder if a higher priority will be put on the high speed rails into Chicago if they get the 2016 Olympic games.

[DMRyan]

Well, so much for that thought. Chicago is eliminated.