Funding Boost for Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 23, 2011 4:40PM

High-speed rail took another step to reality yesterday with the announcement yesterday of funding for a second phase of a line between Chicago and St. Louis.

Construction of the line begins April 5 and is funded by $1.2 billion in federal grants dedicated to passenger rail expansion, with an additional $42 million chipped in from the state. The construction will begin early thanks to a partnership agreement agreed to by the federal government and Union Pacific, that will create 6,200 direct and indirect jobs for the state, just in time for the peak time of construction season.