U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with representatives from the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing growth of passenger rail service and the importance of the federal government's supporting the national transportation network.
“This year, Congress debates the future of our national transportation and infrastructure network, including Amtrak,” Durbin said. “As passenger rail continues to grow, a strong reauthorization bill that modernizes and expands our rail network is important for creating good-paying Illinois jobs and strengthening our state’s economy. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and stakeholders like the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission to produce a rail reauthorization bill that provides the necessary resources to upgrade our aging infrastructure and put America back to work.”
Durbin is a leading advocate in supporting passenger rail service.
Congress plans to look at Amtrak and Rail Safety Reauthorization later in the year. This bill would have an impact on the state of Illinois, which has the second largest rail network in the country, with over 7,300 miles of railroad track.
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