I have written about how Pennsylvania with SEPTA, Massachusetts with MBTA, and Maryland with MARC ("A "Transformational Projects Action Plan" for a statewide passenger railroad program in Maryland," 2019) could use their regional railroad commuter systems as the foundation to develop statewide railroad passenger programs.
Massachusetts has a big advantage because offshore wind power could be used to electrify the entire system.
I hadn't thought about it in terms of METRA and Illinois. The State of Illinois just selected METRA as the operator, over Amtrak, to extend service from Elgin (the service emanates from Chicago) to Rockford ("Metra chosen to restore passenger rail to Rockford," Rockford Journal-Star). Rockford is about 90 miles from Chicago.
Amtrak does provide service throughout Illinois, such as from Chicago to St. Louis, and Chicago to Milwaukee.
For thinking about how to organize railroad passenger service at multiple scales throughout the US, see:
-- "Two train/regional transit ideas: Part 1 | Amtrak should acquire Greyhound" (2021)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/7/11/23785790/metra-service-rockford-taxpayers-milwaukee-district-domestic-violence-letters
ReplyDeleteChicagoland Metra service comes with a sales tax, but Rockford's won't. Here's why
ReplyDeletehttps://www.rrstar.com/story/news/2023/07/10/rockford-will-not-be-part-of-metra-commuter-line-wont-pay-sales-tax/70391932007/
https://archive.ph/qvnQN
Metra would reach beyond its traditional six-county stomping grounds in 2027 to run trains from Rockford to Chicago under an agreement with Illinois, but Boone and Winnebago counties won't be asked to pay additional sales tax for it.
Communities in and around Chicago pay a sales tax to the Regional Transportation Authority to subsidize public transportation services including Metra, Pace and the CTA.
Although Metra is planning to provide two daily roundtrip trains between Rockford and Chicago with stops in Belvidere, Huntley and Elgin, Rockford's line would be part of an intercity train service and not part of Metra's traditional commuter service lines, Region 1 Planning Council Executive Director Mike Dunn Jr. explained.