With the end of the Illinois veto session looming Wednesday, Oct. 29, passenger rail leaders are urging Quad Citians to join a letter-writing campaign aimed at convincing lawmakers to help make the Moline-to-Chicago route a reality.
The easiest way to do that, Quad Cities Chamber leaders said in a news release is for Quad Citians to join the Moline to Chicago passenger rail campaign by contacting legislators directly here. Individuals also can access the campaign by texting “PassRail” to 877-806-1507.
The Rock Island County Passenger Rail Committee along with the Quad Cities Chamber and other stakeholders have been at the Statehouse in Springfield off and on during the six-day, two-week session seeking support for the funding transit bill.
In addition to regional leaders coming out in mass last week to lobby lawmakers, QC Passenger Rail committee member Doug House, the former deputy secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, has continued to work the bill during the last week of the veto session that closes Wednesday.
The passenger rail route has the support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi.
Growing local support may be having an impact, he said as some lawmakers have reported receiving Quad Citians’ letters. Many more are needed, however, and the timing is critical because if the bill isn’t approved during the current veto session it is unlikely to resurface until next spring.
The Quad Cities leaders who asked lawmakers in person to get it passed include Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati, QC Chamber President & CEO Peter Tokar, III, and Richard ‘Quijas’ Brunk, chair of the local Passenger Rail Committee and the Rock Island County Board.
QC can join ‘big push’
Quad Citians can do that by reinforcing the message those leaders delivered in person in Springfield by sending a message of their own asking Illinois lawmakers to join the fight for the long-sought service from Chicago to Quad Cities by way of Geneseo.
“We have never been closer to securing funding for construction of the Chicago-to-Quad Cities Passenger Rail project. We are now at an all hands-on deck moment, it’s time for the big push,” Mr. Brunk said in a news release.
To have their voices heard, however, Quad Citizens will need to follow the link before time runs out. There they can encourage Illinois General Assembly members to join Sen. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, and Rep. Gregg Johnson, D-East Moline, in support of Chicago-to-Quad Cities passenger rail.
“Quad Citizens have a unique opportunity to make their voices heard and help bring this decades-long project to fruition,” Mr. Tokar said in the release. “If the legislature follows through and funds the Chicago-Quad Cities rail connection, we can expect hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact and the creation of more than 800 jobs.”
