(The following story by Denise Moran appeared on The Courier-News website on July 9, 2009.)
GENOA, Ill. — City Council members approved a resolution this week that they hope will put them on the right track to obtain passenger rail service in Genoa.
The council supports the direct route, also known as Alternate C, as the best route for Amtrak service between Galena and Chicago.
It opposes an alternate route that would run through Belvidere.
“We respectfully request that federal and state elected and appointed officials use every effort to ensure that the direct route on the Canadian National rail line through northern DeKalb County is maintained and utilized for the provision of this important transportation initiative in northern Illinois,” Genoa Mayor Todd Walker said.
According to the resolution, an independent study by Amtrak professionals found that the capital cost for the direct route on the CN was $11.5 million cheaper, or 37 percent less expensive, than the second-to-worst capital cost alternate route through Belvidere.
Other arguments contained in the resolution include:
• Operating costs for passenger service on the direct route of the CN are substantially less than all other alternates and $100,000 annually less expensive compared to the route through Belvidere.
• Ridership would be 39 percent higher than on the Belvidere route.
• A route through northern DeKalb County would be easier to implement because there would be only one railroad with which to negotiate and manage an operating agreement.
• The DeKalb County route would effectively serve the needs of 25,000 students at Northern Illinois University, and DeKalb County has twice the population of Belvidere’s Boone County.
Along with striving to bring Amtrak service to Genoa, city officials have been working to improve local roads. The “City of Genoa Construction Report” on the village Web site presents the current status on various roads currently under or set to undergo construction. To view the road construction report, visit www.genoa-il.com.