Editing Chicago Hub Network (section)

{{Short description|Proposed rail lines in the Midwestern US}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{update|reason=This article mentions several proposals and grants, but the outcomes of pretty much all of them have not been added yet|date=July 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
[[File:corridor chi.PNG|thumb|Chicago Hub Network high-speed rail corridors, as designated by the [[Federal Railroad Administration]]]]

The '''Chicago Hub Network''' is a collection of proposed [[Higher-speed rail|fast conventional]] and [[high-speed rail in the United States|high-speed rail]] lines in the [[Midwestern United States]] including {{convert|3000|mi|km|sigfig=1}} of track. Since the 1990s, there have been multiple proposals to build a network from [[Chicago]] to destinations such as [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]], [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]], [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]], [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]],  [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]], and [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]. In addition, the rail lines from the Chicago hub would connect through to cities in [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite news |title=High-Speed Rail in Michigan: Is a line to Canada the next step? |last=Wattrick |first=Jeff T. |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/05/high-speed_rail_in_michigan_is.html |newspaper=MLive.com |date=May 9, 2011 |access-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> Eastern routes from Chicago would also blend into the [[Ohio Hub]] network. In addition to providing better connections between Midwestern cities, the projects are intended to reduce or eliminate the operating [[subsidy|subsidies]] that American passenger train routes currently require.

[[File:MWHSR logo.gif|thumb|upright=0.5|Midwest High Speed Rail logo]]

If implemented, the plans would have some of the nation's fastest trains in Chicago, as it had in the 1930s and 1940s when the ''[[Twin Zephyr]]s'', ''[[Twin Cities 400]]'', and ''[[Hiawatha (Milwaukee Road trains)|Hiawatha]]'' were based in the city. Chicago is [[North America]]'s largest rail hub, and remains unsurpassed in the total number of passenger and freight trains that converge on any city on the continent. Chicago is a major hub for [[Amtrak]], with 15 different lines terminating at the city's [[Chicago Union Station|Union Station]]. Most existing passenger trains in the region operate at speeds of about {{convert|55|to|79|mph|km/h}}, although a few travel faster. The various plans have suggested speeds ranging from {{convert|110|to|220|mph|km/h}} for the core routes, as well as improved speeds for secondary routes.

In 2023, the Chicago–St. Louis rail line was upgraded so passenger trains are able to reach top speeds of {{convert|110|mph|km/h}} when traveling between [[Joliet, Illinois|Joliet]] and [[Alton, Illinois|Alton]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neveau • • |first=James |title=Amtrak Cleared to Run Trains at 110 MPH on Routes Between Chicago, St. Louis |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/amtrak-cleared-to-run-trains-at-110-mph-on-routes-between-chicago-st-louis/3133478/ |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=NBC Chicago |date=May 4, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>