he future of Moline's long-planned passenger rail to Chicago now appears to rest with Amtrak.
Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati announced Monday that negotiations had broken down between the Illinois Department of Transportation and Iowa Interstate Railroad in the state's quest to access the rail line for Moline-to-Chicago passenger service.
“We’re here to make sure our constituents know that the Iowa Interstate Railroad appears more interested in corporate welfare and someone else paying the bill for their track improvements than in being a good partner and bringing passenger rail to Moline,” Rayapati said.
About $400 million in state and federal funding is committed to the downtown project, but it is contingent upon cooperation with Iowa Interstate Railroad, or IAIS. The stopper, the mayor said, is money.
The rail company keeps "moving the goal post" in negotiations with the state, the mayor said, adding, "It always comes down to money."
"Our most recent update from our public partners makes it even more clear that this project is even further out of reach or off of an appropriate timeline for our city," she said. "Because of this reality, as the leader of the city of Moline, I am not willing to wait any longer ... for the railroad to do what is right."
The best hope for the project now is to get Amtrak, the passenger rail carrier, to go to bat for them, local and state officials said.
State Sen. Mike Halpin said at Monday's news conference that federal law gave Amtrak the authority to appeal the matter to the Surface Transportation Board.
"Passenger rail is supposed to have priority under federal law," Halpin said.
The federal law that allows this oversight has been in play for about 25 years, he said. Generally, Amtrak and the DOT prefer to meet and negotiate how federal and state governments can contribute to improving the project. Being called upon by public officials is unusual, he said.
"This is somewhat of a last resort. We don't like to compel private companies to do things, but when they (Iowa Interstate Railroad) are not coming to the table in good faith, it's time to take a different approach," Halpin said.
A spokesperson for Amtrak said Monday that it already had tried to help state transportation officials.
Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati announced Monday that negotiations had broken down between the Illinois Department of Transportation and Iowa Interstate Railroad in the state's quest to access the rail line for Moline-to-Chicago passenger service.
“We’re here to make sure our constituents know that the Iowa Interstate Railroad appears more interested in corporate welfare and someone else paying the bill for their track improvements than in being a good partner and bringing passenger rail to Moline,” Rayapati said.
About $400 million in state and federal funding is committed to the downtown project, but it is contingent upon cooperation with Iowa Interstate Railroad, or IAIS. The stopper, the mayor said, is money.
The rail company keeps "moving the goal post" in negotiations with the state, the mayor said, adding, "It always comes down to money."
"Our most recent update from our public partners makes it even more clear that this project is even further out of reach or off of an appropriate timeline for our city," she said. "Because of this reality, as the leader of the city of Moline, I am not willing to wait any longer ... for the railroad to do what is right."
The best hope for the project now is to get Amtrak, the passenger rail carrier, to go to bat for them, local and state officials said.
State Sen. Mike Halpin said at Monday's news conference that federal law gave Amtrak the authority to appeal the matter to the Surface Transportation Board.
"Passenger rail is supposed to have priority under federal law," Halpin said.
The federal law that allows this oversight has been in play for about 25 years, he said. Generally, Amtrak and the DOT prefer to meet and negotiate how federal and state governments can contribute to improving the project. Being called upon by public officials is unusual, he said.
"This is somewhat of a last resort. We don't like to compel private companies to do things, but when they (Iowa Interstate Railroad) are not coming to the table in good faith, it's time to take a different approach," Halpin said.
A spokesperson for Amtrak said Monday that it already had tried to help state transportation officials.
Update: Moline-Chicago passenger rail needs federal intervention
Moline leaders accuse rail company of holding Amtrak project hostage for money.
qconline.com