Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced a $3 million investment from Illinois Jobs Now! to design and engineer a new multi-modal station in Rockford. Funding for this project is in addition to the $60 million allocated to construct the Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque rail corridor. The two projects together are expected to support nearly 700 jobs and bring rail access back to a part of the state that has not seen service in 30 years.
The Rockford station will be located at the site of the old Amtrak station demolished last year and will be part of the new route from Chicago to Dubuque— planned to carry one round-trip per day with stops in South Elgin, Genoa, Rockford, Freeport and Galena. The facility will support both passenger rail and public transit, which will improve accessibility and air quality by reducing vehicle emissions.
The total cost of the development is expected to be approximately $12 million. The Illinois Department of Transportation and City of Rockford will work to obtain the additional funds to move construction of the project forward. Construction on the new station is anticipated to begin before the end of 2012 and complete by the end of 2014.
“Investing in Rockford is good for Illinois,” Governor Quinn said. “Not only will we create a new station and Amtrak service, we’ll create new jobs and attract more economic development to the Rockford area. Illinois residents will have additional travel options and reduced travel times from Rockford to the Chicago area and to western parts of our state.”
