(The Associated Press circulated the following on July 8, 2009.)
GENOA, Ill. – Some community leaders in northern Illinois are trying to woo passenger trains to their towns.
For years, Amtrak’s mulled the possibility of running trains through the region. And now that there’s a train-friendly administration in the White House, chances of new passenger routes have improved.
One community hoping to persuade Amtrak to come through is Genoa.
It wants a line running from Chicago to Iowa via Genoa. But elsewhere, officials are lobbying for the line to go through Belvidere instead of Genoa.
Genoa’s business leaders have expressed excitement about the prospect of Amtrak service. And Genoa’s board was expected to adopt a resolution on the issue this week.
Federal officials haven’t made any final decisions on the matter.