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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-18-23 Correspondence - High Speed Rail Alliance - Support for Amtrak's Application for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant High Speed Rail Alliance May 9, 2023 Cyndy Andrus Mayor City of Bozeman, MT 121 N Rouse Ave Bozeman, MT 59715 Dear Mayor Andrus, Amtrak has applied for federal funding for their Chicago Hub Improvement Program which will fix Chicago Union Station and create better routes to it. Fixing access to Chicago is important step to improving or adding train service to your community. Please add your name to the enclosed sign-on letter supporting this grant application. You may recall that last summer Amtrak requested funds from the MEGA Program for a similar proposal called Chicago Access. They were unsuccessful, but received important feedback from the USDOT and other stakeholders. This improved application is to the Federal/State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program, which was created specifically for projects like this. Trains are multi-purpose mobility machines. They are a great way to connect many communities at once—ranging from big cities to small towns. Several new federal funding programs can be used to build better tracks and modern trains to serve more people in more places. As the center of the network, fixing Chicago Union Station is the foundation for improvements throughout the country. Today, it offers direct service to 375 cities and towns in more than 36 states. Proposed new routes could add many more. Please email Dylan@HSRail.org to add your name. Feel free to call me at 773-334-6758 with questions. Sincerely, Richard Harnish Executive Director PS: Learn more at HSRail.org/Chicago-Hub-Improvement-Program. HIGH SPEED RAIL ALLIANCE 4765 N. Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL 60625 773.334.6758 1 HSRail.org El, May 9, 2023 The Honorable Pete Buttigieg The Honorable Amit Bose Secretary of Transportation Administrator U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 Washington, DC 20590 Dear Secretary Buttigieg and Administrator Bose, We write today as mayors of cities across the country to express our support for Amtrak's application for a Federal/State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant to help fund the Chicago Hub Improvement Program. Fast, frequent, and affordable trains have the vast potential to lead to greater interconnectivity and cooperation among governments, enterprises, communities, and individuals nationwide. We should have a passenger rail network that residents can depend on to offer smooth and convenient transportation for productive business meetings,work and entertainment trips, education, and tourism. More critical face-to-face meetings will happen, residents will have more opportunities for meaningful work, and students will have more options for learning. Fixing Chicago Union Station, and the routes to it, is central to expanding passenger rail service across the country. Today, it offers direct service to 375 cities and towns in more than 36 states. Proposed new routes could add many more. Indeed, Union Station is the centerpiece of the Federal Railroad Administration's Midwest Regional Rail Plan that proposes to connect cities throughout the region to Chicago and to each other with hourly departures. There are two key components of the Chicago Hub Improvement Program. The first is a group of improvements to the station itself,the third busiest railroad station nationwide and the busiest station outside of the Northeast Corridor.Almost 40 million passengers pass through CUS annually. On an average weekday,the station handles approximately 140,000 passengers and hosts more than 300 trains. The program brings the century-old CUS into a state of good repair and significantly improves passenger circulation and safety. It will modernize and expanding existing platforms and concourses. New platforms and waiting areas will be added,thus allowing for service expansion. Finally,the program will address the longstanding ventilation issues that have affected passengers and employees of both Amtrak and Metra for decades. The second group of projects will improve reliability and add capacity for new trains by building new track, establishing connections among existing tracks, and eliminating bottlenecks just south of Chicago and in southwest Michigan. All of this will be accomplished in an energy-efficient manner that reduces our carbon footprint through clean and convenient passenger trains. This effort has been a vision for many years, and we are excited to have the opportunity to make it a reality thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program's success will depend on significant investment and support from the federal, state, and local governments, as well as partner agencies. We stand as committed partners. We urge your support to help our cities realize this vision for a connected future. Sincerely,