Editing Chicago Hub Network (section)

==Midwest Regional Rail Initiative==
In 2004, the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative plan was released, focusing on upgrading existing Amtrak routes.  The plan had been in development since 1996, led by the [[Wisconsin Department of Transportation]].  Trains would travel at about {{convert|110|mph|km/h}} on the primary routes, but {{convert|80|to|90|mph|abbr=on}} on secondary lines.  Existing trains run at speeds of about {{convert|55|to|79|mph|abbr=on}}. Raising the speed would significantly reduce trip times. A trip between [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]] and Chicago would be reduced from about 90 minutes to just over an hour. The trip from the [[Minneapolis-St. Paul|Twin Cities]] to Chicago would drop from 8 hours to 5½ hours. Travelers between Chicago and [[Cincinnati]] would see the biggest gains, cutting travel time in half to just 4 hours.

If implemented, planners would expect 13.6&nbsp;million annual riders by the year 2025. The frequency of train trips would also be increased: areas that currently only see one train in each direction every day would be upgraded to four or six trips each way.

The total investment required for the system, paying for infrastructure as well as [[rolling stock]], was estimated at $7.7&nbsp;billion in 2002 dollars.  $1.1&nbsp;billion of that would go toward purchasing 63 new train sets.  Plans at the time called for phased construction taking about a decade.

This plan is expected to use diesel-powered trains, which is one reason for the relatively low top speed in comparison to high-speed lines in Europe and elsewhere.  The practical limit for diesel-powered train service is about {{convert|125|mph|abbr=on}}.  Higher speeds require electrification, which can double the cost of building a rail line, though trains on such lines benefit from higher efficiency leading to lower fuel costs, and the ability to accelerate and decelerate more rapidly which boosts rail line capacity.