Rockford resident Robert Manning attended a meeting about the possibility of extending rail service to Rockford recently.

In an op-ed piece in the Rockford Register-Star, he concluded extending it with stops in Huntley and Belvidere was “starting to sound like a mad grab to get some of the federal infrastructure dollars. Could this be a boondoggle in the making?”

He did not obtain satisfactory answers to two questions:

  • First, I was told that the train from Rockford to Union Station would only take two hours. I make a trip to Chicago every 9 weeks. From my house to the Big Timber Metra station takes 40+ minutes. Big Timber to Union Station takes 90 minutes. If the train leaves Rockford and makes 2 stops, in Belvidere and Huntley, how can they say the train will only take 2 hours? They tell me ours will be an express train. If so, how to you avoid hourly local Metra trains?
  • Second question: Who have you identified as your target ridership? How many do you expect to use the service daily? The answer from the consultant was that they have not identified who or how many. Yet, they are planning to start the buildout of the system this coming year.

Manning’s suggestion is to run “a light rail line…down the inside shoulder of I-90…This would afford continuous service, running both directions, and give access to possible stops all through the northwest corridor.”

Manning does admit, “Yes, the upfront costs are much higher than the present option,” but he argues that policy makers should look at the long-term growth possibilities of the northwest corridor.

Recommended Posts