(The following story by Thomas V. Bona appeared on the Rockford Register Star website on April 25.)
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Jo Ann Jenkins was in favor of the Amtrak route that went past Davis Junction and the Chicago/Rockford International Airport. Then she saw the numbers Tuesday. Now she supports the old Blackhawk line that runs through Elmhurst and Genoa.
“It can probably be started quicker,” Jenkins, a Rockford resident, said at Tuesday’s public informational meeting about the three proposed Amtrak routes.
Speed was the key for residents Tuesday — they wanted whichever route could get them to Chicago the fastest and could be put in place the soonest.
According to Amtrak’s feasibility study, the old Blackhawk line would be the fastest, would cost the least and would get the most passengers. For most of the 60 residents at Tuesday’s meeting, that was a good enough reason to support it.
“I think it’s the most direct route from Rockford to Chicago,” said Jenkins’ son, Brian Leggero of Rockford.
Leaders are trying to get Amtrak back here for the first time since 1981. A train a day would go from Dubuque, Iowa, through Rockford to Chicago and back.
The Illinois Department of Transportation hopes to choose a route by the end of May, said George Weber, acting chief of IDOT’s railroad division. He said Tuesday’s turnout was good, and the public comments will help officials make the decision.
There was some support Tuesday for the route that goes through Marengo and Belvidere.
Jim Pyfer of Caledonia questioned Amtrak’s ridership projections. He thinks there are more people along the Belvidere route who would use the train than along the alternatives.
He and Harvey Kahler, a railroad advocate from Chicago, thought the old Blackhawk line would be too congested.
“Two things killed Amtrak service before: the location of the station in Rockford and the time it took to get from Rockford to Chicago,” Pyfer said. Kahler thought Amtrak was too optimistic about the speed of the old Blackhawk line when it travels through Chicago.
Amtrak officials stood by their numbers, which have the Blackhawk route 45 minutes quicker between Chicago and Rockford.
Residents agreed that another key is Rockford city bus service to the Amtrak station. If the train didn’t stop at the airport, buses could connect the two also, some said.
There was a lot of support for an east-side station somewhere between Perryville and Alpine roads, and several people said that was more important than restoring the downtown station.
David Dobson of Rockford said he saw both sides when it came to the debate on routes. While he slightly prefers the old Blackhawk route, his ultimate preference — like just about everyone else — was the get the first train here as soon as possible.