OVER AFGHANISTAN.
>> BUT FIRST, IMAGINE GETTING
FROM CHICAGO TO ST. LOUIS BY
TRAIN IN JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS?
THAT'S THE VISION OF HIGH SPEED
RAIL ADVOCATES WHO WANT TO SEE
AN ULTRA FAST TRAIN WITH A
NETWORK OF FEEDER TRAINS AND
BUSES CONNECTING CITIES AROUND
THE STATE.
AS NICK BLUMBERG REPORTS THAT
VISION HAS GOTTEN A BOOST FROM
ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS.
>> WHEN RICK HARNISH TRAVELS TO
OTHER COUNTRIES THESE ARE THE
TRAINS HE RIDES.
HIGH SPEED RAIL ZIPPING BY AT
200-MILES-PER-HOUR OR MORE.
>> IT'S COMFORTABLE THERE IS NO
SEATBELT YOU CAN WALK AROUND.
AND THE RIDE IS SMOOTH SO YOU
DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
SPILLING YOUR DRINK.
>> RICK HARNISH IS EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE HIGH SPEED RAIL
ALLIANCE AND THESE ULTRA FAST
TRAINS CAN BETTER CONNECT TO
GEOGRAPHICALLY SPREAD OUTCRY
LIKE THE U.S.
>> HIGH SPEED TRAINS GIVE YOU
THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL MORE
OFTEN, MORE SAFELY AND MORE
AFFORDABLY.
>> HE IS HOPEFUL HIGH SPEED RAIL
IS GETTING A LEG UP FROM
LEADERS.
GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER SIGNED
INTO LAW THE ILLINOIS HIGH SPEED
RAIL COMMISSION.
ITS GOAL: TO COME UP WITH A
PLAN FOR A HIGH-SPEED TRAIN
BETWEEN ST. LOUIS AND "CHICAGO
AND CHICAGOAND A NETWORK OF TRA.
>> WE COULD HAVE TRUE HIGH SPEED
RAILS IN 10 YEARS BUT WE HAVE TO
COMMIT TO IT.
>> THE COMMISSION IS CHARGED
WITH INTEGRATING SERVICE FROM
METRA AND AMTRAK.
>> OUR CHICAGO REGION RAIL IS SO
IMPORTANT TO DOWNTOWN AND OUR
SMALLER DOWN STATE COMMUNITIES
LIKE CARBONDALE HAVING GOOD
QUALITY RAIL SERVICE IS
IMPORTANT FOR THEIR ECONOMIES TO
ALLOW COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GET
THERE AND IT ADDRESSES CLIMATE
CHANGE.
>> AMTRAK'S READY TO WORK WITH
THE COMMISSION BUT IT'S NOT
WAITING TO TRY AND IMPROVE RAIL
SERVICE.
HE IS HOPEFUL THAT CONGRESS WILL
PASS A LONG AWAITED
INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE DUE FOR A
VOTE BY SEPTEMBER 27.
>> AND IF THE BIPARTISAN
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL PASSES,
WHICH HAS HAS $66 BILLION FOR
RAIL PROGRAMS WE ARE READY TO
PARTNER WITH STATES AND
COMMUNITIES.
>> AFTER YEARS OF CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT HIGH SPEED RAIL,
SUPPORTERS ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE
COMBINATION OF STATE-WIDE
COORDINATION AND EXPECTED
FEDERAL FUNDING MIGHT MEAN THIS
EFFORT FINALLY HAS THE MOMENTUM.
CHRIS BARKAN OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS LED A STATE
SPONSORED HIGH SPEED RAIL STUDY
RELEASED IN 2013 THAT LOOKED AT
THE IMPACT THE SYSTEM COSTS AND
ROUTES.
HE IS INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT THE
COMMISSION LEARNS ABOUT A
POSSIBLE RIDERSHIP INCLUDING THE
POTENTIAL THAT HIGH SPEED RAIL
COULD DRAW IN NEW RIDERS.
>> HOW MANY TRIPS WOULD BE MADE
THAT WOULDN'T OTHERWISE HAVE
BEEN MADE.
THIS HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE A REAL
PHENOMENON IN SOME OF THE OTHER
NATIONS THAT DEVELOPED HIGH
SPEED TRAINS AND SIGNIFICANT NEW
DEMAND FOR TRAVEL.
>> AND CHRIS BARKAN SAYS SOME OF
THE COUNTRIES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THAT DEMAND TO HELP COVER COSTS.
>> WHEN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
START USING ANY FORM OF PUBLIC
TRANSPORT AND ARE GETTING
CHANNELED THROUGH STATIONARIES,
THAT BECOMES VERY VALUABLE REAL
ESTATE.
THE REVENUES FROM THAT REAL
ESTATE THAT THE RAILWAY COMPANY
OWNS AT OR ADJACENT TO THE
STATIONS, GENERATES A
SIGNIFICANT PART OF THEIR
OPERATING REVENUE.
>> THE HIGH SPEED RAIL
ALLIANCE'S RICK HARNISH HAS BEEN
PUSHING FOR THE COMMISSION FOR
YEARS AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE
FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE EFFORT
CLOSE TO A VOTE.
>> WE WERE READY, THE LAST TIME
THIS HAPPENED A DECADE AGO SO WE
DID WELL.
WE NEED TO GET READY QUICKLY
AGAIN.
>> FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" I'M