Skift Take
It's a sign of progress that Illinois is looking to boost its speeds, but 111mph is nothing in China, where high-speed lines are already connecting rural communities with opportunity.
The fierce, unresolved debate over whether the U.S. can afford to invest billions of dollars on high-speed passenger rail seemed to fall by the wayside, at least temporarily, in the heartland on Friday when an Amtrak train reached 111 mph -- a record speed in Illinois during modern times.
The test train went 1 mph over the 110 mph goal set for the 15-mile stretch between Dwight and Pontiac, Ill., which are about 80 and 100 miles, respectively, southwest of Chicago. Illinois and Amtrak officials said they expect to begin revenue passenger service at 110 mph between Dwight and Pontiac before Thanksgiving.
The short leg is on part of what's essentially a brand new railroad being built over 284 miles of the Union Pacific Railroad corridor to safely accommodate faster trains between Chicago and St. Louis.
Applause and gleeful laughter broke out at 110 mph among Gov. Pat Quinn, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Sen. Dick Durbin and others counting up the incremental ticks in speed as they stared at a digital speedometer and a GPS map on a television screen in the last car of the refurbished Amtrak train.
"One eleven,'' a happily surprised Quinn announced shortly after letting out a "Wooo!'' at 110 mph.
Elsewhere on the train, nary a drop of refreshment was spilled, nor even one red grape spotted tumbling off fruit trays as the passenger coaches glided smoothly over the new rails and new concrete t
