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