PEORIA, Ill. – The Peoria City Council is approving money that could lead to the city receiving federal funding toward the proposed Peoria to Chicago passenger rail line.
The city would be putting in $250,000 toward environmental engineering work for the line, if a $2.5 million federal grant for the work is approved.
But, maybe the local money won’t be needed.
(City of Peoria)
“The state is in the process of working through rail service to the Quad Cities, and rail service to Rockford,” said Patrick Urich, City Manager, at Tuesday’s council meeting. “In both of those instances, they have been driven by the state spending those dollars. It hasn’t fallen to the locals to bring up any additional funds. That’s our hope, that we’ll be kind of treated in that same fashion as this progresses as we move forward with this process.”
Urich notes, however, the processes with Rockford and the Quad Cities began a decade ago.
One council member thinks, though, the project could end up costing billions and not have enough passengers like the most previous passenger rail service through Peoria, so he’s voting “no.”
“I think the intentions are very, very good,” said Council Member John Kelly (At Large). “But, it seems like a boondoggle, to me, of very massive proportions.”
Kelly was the only council member to vote “no” on the item.
