Durbin, Duckworth call for extension of federal funding availability for Illinois-Quad Cities Amtrak line

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Illinois) on Thursday issued a letter asking the federal government to extend funding previously secured for a new Amtrak route between Chicago and the Quad Cities.

In their letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Railroad Administrator David Fink, the lawmakers said the rail line, for which Durbin has been advocating since 2010, could move ahead at last if the USDOT extends the availability of the previously granted federal funds.

Currently, there is a deadline of July 31 when the funding cuts off.

The lawmakers wrote that state partners such as the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Iowa Interstate Railroad are on board with the project after years of negotiating.

Durbin secured $177 million for the project in 2010. A long delay followed because former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner would not provide state funding, but his successor, Gov. JB Pritzker, renewed the state's commitment to the project and put down $225 million for it through the Rebuild Illinois Capital Program, the lawmakers said.

The recent enactment of the Illinois transit bill and other state funding sources will secure the additional funding needed for the project, which would create an Amtrak line between Chicago and Moline, the lawmakers said.

The lawmakers wrote that "we cannot squander this opportunity" now that the project is ready to proceed with all state, local, and rail partners on the same page.