by: Diane Benjamin
Did you know the West Market Street rail bridge is going to be closed for a year? The City of Bloomington has the story on their website: http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=563
So far high speed rail has cost $1.5 billion dollars. (pocket change) The project isn’t close to done, but when it is it will shave ONE hour off a train ride from Chicago to Alton. Currently less than 600,000 passengers take the trip per year. (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20131004/BLOGS10/131009917/quinn-really-has-gone-off-the-high-speed-rails-this-time)
Critics say this really isn’t a high speed rail. In fact, when the corridor is completed in 2017 only an hour will be shaved off the 5.5 hour trip from St. Louis to Chicago. Some say Europoean trains travel at 220 mph, which would cut the trip to just two hours. http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/02/25/st-louis-chicago-high-speed-rail/5818379/
The news gets even better! Currently “high speed” has been completed between Dwight and Pontiac. It’s only going to cost ANOTHER 1.5 billion for high speed from Joliet to Chicago, if it’s even possible:
Amtrak service between Chicago and Joliet currently operates on the Metra Heritage Corridor tracks, with average speeds as slow as 30 mph and travel times as long as 90 minutes. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-02-24/news/chi-high-speed-rail-chicago-joliet-st-louis-20140224_1_rail-corridor-amtrak-service-amtrak-trains
Back in January of 2010, the project was estimated to cost $8 Billion. Sen. Durbin and Gov. Quinn celebrated by FLYING into Normal for the announcement. Don’t worry about the money though, the Feds will provide a good chunk of it.
You are supposed to forget the Feds money came from you.
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A fine exhibition of crony capitalism at work. Create jobs for the rank and file tax payers at a multiple per times cost to the tax payers and assure them that it good for the economy building something that is an inefficient pipe dream rather than fixing the roads, the potholes, the bridges, and other long overdue infrastructure projects. These acts of stupidity for America scream the intentional goal of the globalist mindset of the current administration to destroy America from within. As our local mayors and pc city managers jump (over the cliff) for joy! * Little Johnny says, “A guy has to be pretty smart to be a mayor.” His father responds, “People used to think that my son but anymore only dummies seem to get elected.”