Illinois will receive more than $1.2 billion from the federal government to build a fast train from Chicago to St. Louis.
The state’s share of the $8 billion high-speed rail pie comes amid fierce competition from 23 other states that collectively submitted applications for $50 billion.
The route will travel at speeds of up to 110 mph and travel on Amtrak tracks through Springfield.
The funding is part of the federal stimulus package.
In a joint statement, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called the decision “a massive investment into the future of transportation. It is seventeen times more funding than the federal government has invested into passenger rail over the last ten years combined.”
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