Editing Chicago Hub Network (section)

==Upgrades underway==
Some construction has begun in Illinois and Michigan, primarily as testbeds for the upgraded signaling and control systems required for [[higher-speed rail]]. In Michigan, this work has already resulted in speeds up to {{convert|110|mph|abbr=on}} for Amtrak's ''[[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]'' and ''[[Blue Water (train)|Blue Water]]'' services.<!-- [http://www.wndu.com/news/022002/news_12244.php]-->  Similar work on the Chicago–Saint Louis line in Illinois was met with considerable technical difficulties in 2005,<ref>{{cite news | title=Just like riding on air | work=[[South Bend Tribune]] | url=http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051231/News01/512310376/CAT=News01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622080832/http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20051231%2FNews01%2F512310376%2FCAT%3DNews01 | url-status=dead | archive-date=June 22, 2006 | date=December 31, 2005 | access-date=July 19, 2020 }}</ref> though work continued.

In September 2008, the federal government provided $297,000 to fund a study of the plan; Amtrak and state governments matched these funds for a total of $594,000. Planners anticipate 13.6 million riders over the entire network by the year 2025.<ref>{{cite news | title=Federal money for trains seeks match from states | first=Alison | last=Costello | publisher=[[Capital News Service (Michigan)|Capital News Service]] | date=November 7, 2008 | access-date=November 7, 2008 | url=http://blog.mlive.com/cns/2008/11/federal_money_for_trains_seeks.html}}</ref>

The Chicago to Milwaukee ''[[Hiawatha (Amtrak train)|Hiawatha]]'' was planned to be expanded to [[Madison, Wisconsin]], but the project was then nixed in 2011 by then  Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.  In 2009, the Spanish manufacturer [[Talgo]] had agreed to open a plant in Wisconsin in order to build 110-mph trains for the ''Hiawatha'' route and other improved corridors;<ref name="talgo-wi">[http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/07/27/daily10.html Doyle enters Midwest pact to pursue high-speed rail funds]</ref> however, due to the cancellation of construction in Wisconsin, Talgo has scaled back plans from a manufacturing plant to a maintenance facility, leading the City of Milwaukee to consider legal action against the state.<ref name="talgo-lawsuit">[http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/111686184.html Talgo pulling out of Milwaukee in 2012]</ref>

===American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009===
In 2009, the federal government allocated $8&nbsp;billion in the [[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act]] to be divided up among rail projects around the country.  States in the Midwest made 24 applications to the government, and on January 28, 2010, the White House announced that the Chicago network would receive money for three of its requests, and two other grants were made to Midwestern states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/02/high-speed-rail-grants/|title=At Long Last, Clear Messages for High-Speed Rail|date=February 1, 2010|author=Zach Rosenberg|publisher=Wired Blogs|work=Autopia|access-date=February 2, 2010}}</ref>  The Chicago-based routes receiving funding were:

*$1.131 billion for Chicago–St. Louis–Kansas City<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-chicago-st-louis-kansas-city|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Chicago – St. Louis – Kansas City|access-date=January 28, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121104655/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-chicago-st-louis-kansas-city|archive-date=January 21, 2017|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|date=January 27, 2010 }}</ref> ($1.1&nbsp;billion for Chicago–St. Louis, $31&nbsp;million for St. Louis–Kansas City)
*$823 million for Chicago–Milwaukee–Madison–Minneapolis/St. Paul<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-minneapolisst-paul-madison-m|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Minneapolis/St. Paul – Madison – Milwaukee – Chicago|access-date=January 28, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121104652/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-minneapolisst-paul-madison-m|archive-date=January 21, 2017|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|date=January 27, 2010 }}</ref>  ($810&nbsp;million for Milwaukee–Madison, $12&nbsp;million for Chicago–Milwaukee, remaining $600,000 to study possible alignments to the Twin Cities.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-high-speedrail-wi,0,2769942.story|title=Wis to get $822 million for rail|agency=Associated Press|work=Chicago Tribune|date=January 28, 2010|access-date=February 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202153406/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-high-speedrail-wi,0,2769942.story|archive-date=February 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/10/01/29_highspeedrail.html|title=Minnesota receives federal stimulus funds to study high-speed rail|date=January 29, 2009|publisher=Minnesota Department of Transportation|access-date=February 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206164629/http://www.dot.state.mn.us/newsrels/10/01/29_highspeedrail.html|archive-date=February 6, 2010}}</ref>
*$244 million for Chicago–Detroit–Pontiac<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-pontiac-detroit|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago|access-date=January 28, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121104606/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-pontiac-detroit|archive-date=January 21, 2017|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|date=January 28, 2010 }}</ref>

An additional $400 million was released for the [[Ohio Hub|3C corridor]] in Ohio connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, and $17&nbsp;million was allocated to Iowa.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-cleveland-columbus|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Cleveland – Columbus – Dayton – Cincinnati|access-date=February 2, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121104559/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-cleveland-columbus|archive-date=January 21, 2017|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|date=January 27, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-iowa|title=Fact Sheet: High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program: Iowa|access-date=February 2, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121104644/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-high-speed-intercity-passenger-rail-program-iowa|archive-date=January 21, 2017|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|date=January 27, 2010 }}</ref>  Many of the corridors receiving funding at this time were originally designated as high-speed rail corridors following the 1991 ISTEA legislation.<ref name="fra-chronology"/>

===2010===
In October 2010, the Chicago Hub received more money from the FY 2010 High Speed Rail Allocation. The major grants were:
*$230 million for Chicago–Quad Cities–Iowa City<ref name="fra.dot.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0230 |title=Chicago to Iowa City Intercity Passenger Rail Service Project|access-date=July 31, 2013}}</ref>
*$161 million for Chicago–Detroit–Pontiac<ref name="fra.dot.gov"/>

Following the 2010 gubernatorial elections in [[Wisconsin gubernatorial election, 2010|Wisconsin]] and [[Ohio gubernatorial election, 2010|Ohio]], both newly elected governors repeated their intentions of shutting down the projects in these two states and returning the money to the federal government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_679/|title=Nov 05, 2010: Hotline #679|publisher=National Association of Railroad Passengers|date=November 5, 2010|access-date=November 7, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716181357/http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_679/|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref> Following the return of funds, the federal government redirected the $145&nbsp;million intended for Wisconsin and Ohio to the [[Pacific Northwest Corridor|State of Washington's high-speed rail corridor]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2011/04/8_WASecuresOHWIRailFunding.htm |title=It's official: Ohio and Wisconsin high-speed-rail funding coming to Washington |publisher=[[Washington State Department of Transportation]] |date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=April 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306163717/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2011/04/8_WASecuresOHWIRailFunding.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2012 }}</ref> and to Connecticut to modernize the [[New Haven-Springfield Line]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

===Chicago-St. Louis rail line upgrades===
Before the upgrades, [[Amtrak]] passenger trains had a top speed of 79 MPH on the line between [[Chicago]] and [[St. Louis]], and freight trains had a top speed of 60 MPH.<ref name="Crossing"/> In the fall of 2012, the section of the Chicago-St. Louis line between [[Pontiac, Illinois]], and [[Dwight, Illinois]], began Amtrak service at 110 MPH, as a demonstration section.<ref name="Crossing">{{cite news | last1=Landis | first1=Tim | title=Crossing Technology a Sign of Faster Trains to Come | url=http://www.sj-r.com/news/20160716/crossing-technology-sign-of-faster-trains-to-come | date=July 16, 2016 | newspaper=[[The State Journal-Register]] | access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> In 2014 construction began to upgrade the entire rail line between [[Carlinville, Illinois]], and [[Joliet, Illinois]], so that Amtrak could run its passenger trains at 110 MPH.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Landis | first1=Tim | title=Final Downstate Construction Begins for 110-mph Trains | url=http://www.sj-r.com/article/20140531/NEWS/140539907 | date=May 31, 2014 | newspaper=[[The State Journal-Register]] | access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> In addition, freight trains will be able to operate at 70 MPH.<ref name="Crossing"/>

The entire cost of the high-speed rail program was estimated at $1.8 billion, with the [[United States Federal Government|federal government]] committing $1.6&nbsp;billion of that,<ref>{{cite news | last1=Landis | first1=Tim | title=Speed Control Technology Part of 110 mph Amtrak Service | url=http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150524/NEWS/150529683 | date=May 24, 2015 | newspaper=[[The State Journal-Register]] | access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> later lowered to $1.4&nbsp;billion.<ref name="$1.2billion"/> It is estimated that $1.2&nbsp;billion will be spent on the program by the end of 2016.<ref name="$1.2billion">{{cite news | last1=Landis | first1=Tim | title=Rail Spending Projected to Hit $1.2 Billion Mark | url=http://www.sj-r.com/article/20160430/NEWS/160439988 | date=April 30, 2016 | newspaper=[[The State Journal-Register]] | access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref>

On December 20, 2021, Amtrak train speeds were upgraded to {{Convert|90|mph|kph}} between Chicago and St Louis. This reduced travel time by 15 minutes between the two cities. Final approval for {{cvt|110|mph|adj=on}} speeds was granted in May 2023, and [[higher-speed rail]] service began on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, saving passengers an additional 45 minutes in travel time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amtrak now offering faster trains between Chicago, St. Louis|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/5/3/23709658/amtrak-high-speed-trains-between-chicago-st-louis|date=May 3, 2023|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=May 4, 2023}}</ref>