ELPC Deputy Director Kevin Brubaker, who leads ELPC's high-speed rail efforts, was aboard the Midwest's first high-speed rail train to leave Union Station.

On Feb. 15, 2012, high-speed rail travel arrived in the Midwest. The first high-speed train outside the Northeast United States departed Chicago’s Union Station at 7 a.m., traveling through Indiana and southwest Michigan to its destination in Kalamazoo, Mich. The 138-mile journey, which included a stop in New Buffalo, Mich., was completed in 2 hours, 8 minutes.

Kalamazoo is the highway point on the Chicago-Detroit passenger rail corridor. Eventually, officials say that 5.5-hour trip will be trimmed to 3.75 hours.Other high-speed rail corridors in the Midwest will include routes from Chicago to St. Louis and the Twin Cities.

Read more from CBS 2 Chicago and MLive.com.

Thanks to some Democratic deviltry in Springfield, the Chicago area’s GOP congressmen face the fight of their political lives this year. They’ve been stuck into blue-leaning districts or, in one case, forced to battle it out against each other in the same district.

Who will survive? To a large degree, the answer will be those who focus on really taking care of their constituents’ needs rather than thoughtlessly mouthing a hard ideological line.

Voters want to get policies that will help them. They’re sick to death of fights just for fights’ sake.

Which leads to a critical House vote that could occur as soon as next week, a vote that very much will affect the ability of hundreds of thousands of Chicago-area residents to get to work and support themselves and their families.

The vote is on a five-year spending plan on the nation’s roads, bridges and transit that’s been proposed by House GOP leadership and that I’ve been writing about lately.

Howard Learner, ELPC President and a nationally recognized expert on high-speed passenger rail, had this to say about the award:

“This grant provides a critical step in bringing high-speed rail to the Midwest. Investing in modern, fast, comfortable and convenient higher-speed rail service is a smart move, since better rail service will improve mobility, reduce pollution, create new jobs and spur economic growth. While the media is fixated on the problems of the California corridor, the Midwest has sensibly begun building a first-class system that will reach 110 mph within a year.

“We are already seeing the economic benefits rail is bringing to the region. Normal, Illinois has already seen more than $200 million in investment. With the help of this grant, trains will reduce congestion and make the Midwest a better place to start businesses and create jobs.”

The entire upgrade of the Chicago-St. Louis line will reduce travel time and improve on-time performance. Ridership has grown 137 percent during the last five years on this popular corridor.

American-made trains will be used on the lines, which will be purchased as part of the $782 million grant for domestic manufacturing. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, California, Washington and Oregon will purchase 120 be-level passenger cars, along with 33 quick-acceleration locomotives.

ELPC is nationally known for its high-speed rail advocacy. The organization has studied passenger rail for nearly two decades and provide transportation counsel and policy support to state, local and federal government.

Chicago was awarded $20 million in TIGER funding to expand the city’s bike sharing program and make improvements to the CTA Blue Line. TIGER funding was awarded to over a dozen projects around the country that will create jobs and long term economic growth by investing in our nation’s infrastructure.

“These investments are important building blocks that leverage high-speed rail and public transit to improve mobility, create jobs, spur economic growth and reduce pollution,” said ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner. “We commend Senator Durbin, Transportation Secretary LaHood and Illinois’ congressional delegation for investing in smart transportation projects that will benefit our economy and our environment.”

The Environmental Law & Policy Center advocates for high-speed rail and other smart transportation options that will increase mobility and economic growth while reducing air pollution and traffic congestion.

The William O. Lipinski Symposium brought together national and regional policy leaders and technical experts to debate high-speed rail. Advocates talked about the environmental, economic development, job creation and mobility benefits that high-speed rail would bring, as well as the need for the US to catch up to Europe and Asia. Skeptics discussed financial concerns and pointed to alternatives like buses, planes and cars.

Learner was joined by panelists:
- Samuel K. Skinner, Of Counsel, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, former chief of staff for President George H.W. Bush and former US Secretary of Transportation;
- James Oberstar (D-MN), Former U.S. Representative and former Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure;
- William Shuster (R-PA), U.S Representative;
- Joe Szabo, Director, Federal Railroad Administration; and
- Robert Poole, Director of Transportation Policy, Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow, Reason Foundation.

The lively discussion was shared via live webcast. The full program and other information are available at http://www.iti.northwestern.edu/lipinski/program.html.

The project will create approximately 800 new jobs during the construction phase, which is expected to begin late spring 2012, and will facilitate service to current and future freight rail customers, including major shippers like Ford Motor Company. The money will be used for track and signal improvements between Detroit and Kalamazoo, Mich., allowing for speeds up to 110 mph on 77 percent of Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water services between Detroit and Chicago. The net result is a 30 minute reduction in travel time between those destinations.

“Michigan’s elected officials have put the needs of their constituents above partisan bickering.  They have recognized that transportation is a bipartisan concern.  By working together across party lines, they have allowed Washington to lay the tracks for Michigan’s economic future,” said ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder summarized the issue. “Investing in rail service will spark economic development in communities along a corridor linking Detroit and Chicago, two vital Midwest cities,” Snyder said. “A faster, reliable passenger rail system is a priority for younger generations and vital to Michigan’s ability to compete globally as businesses look to locate or expand. The rail improvements will also hasten the transport of freight, a priority for Ford Motor Company and other Michigan businesses along the route.”

ELPC is a vocal advocate for improved passenger rail, working closely with lawmakers around the region to establish new service and improve existing rail lines. The rail line between Chicago and Detroit is part of the Midwest High-Speed Rail Network that will connect cities around the region and tie together the regional economy.

Visit www.highspeedrailworks.org for more information.

Federal grants to improve the Detroit-Chicago line now total more than $400 million, almost half of which was money rejected by Florida. These funds will improve service between Kalamazoo and Dearborn; upgrade stations in Dearborn, Troy-Birmingham, and Battle Creek; and reduce congestion between passenger and freight trains — ultimately  leading to a consistent 4-hour trip between Chicago and Detroit.

Learn more about the Midwest High-Speed Rail Network.