What is "Black Hawk" Amtrak service?
The Black Hawk is an Amtrak train route that will serve northwest Illinois and far eastern Iowa. It will serve downtown Chicago, Elgin (IL), Huntley (IL), Belvidere, Rockford (IL), and eventually, Galena (IL), and Dubuque (IA). This will be a "corridor" or "regional" train part of Amtrak's "Illinois Service".
Service is slated to begin in 2015 between Chicago and Rockford only. Services from Rockford through Dubuque are on hold pending available funding and contingent on successful negotiations with Canadian National.
Initial funding for the route equipment, upgrades to infrastructure and personnel is coming from the federal government (some of which was rejected by other states), the State of Illinois, Iowa and the towns/regions receiving service. While some of the rail needs minor upgrades, the railway itself already exists and most of the route is owned and maintained by Metra, Union Pacific, and Canadian National (CN) for freight service and existing commuter passenger service.
When service begins, additional funding will come from ticket revenue.
How much of my taxes are being used to pay for this train?
For most readers of this page, about $1-$2 of your total tax money every year is going to support all passenger rail in the United States. The amount of your taxes going towards this specific train is probably much less than that.
For perspective - the amount of your tax money going to maintain highways, roads, airports, etc might be 10 times, 100 times, or even a 500 times more than that $1 or $2. This is no surprise, however, as rail is the cheapest and greenest form of transportation; not to mention it's also the safest form of land transportation. Plus, rail is often one of the fastest forms of regional transportation in congested metropolitan areas (like Chicago).
Why is this route being created?
The Amtrak Black Hawk train will provide a critical mass transportation and intermodal transit option for residents, students, tourists and businesses in northwestern Illinois. The route will connect a region that is greatly lacking passenger rail service and will provide a critical passenger rail connection between Rockford and Chicago as well as Dubuque and Chicago.
Intermodal transportation describes transit that uses multiple methods to arrive at a destination. This may be a car to a train or a train to an airport. This type of transportation is nothing new to the Chicago area; Chicago is the 3rd largest intermodal port in the world (even surpassing New York City).
The Black Hawk route will provide direct access to Chicago's Loop which, in turn, provides a rail transfer connection to 3 international airports: Midway (via the CTA 'L' orange line), O'Hare (via Metra's North Central Service or the CTA 'L" blue line), and Milwaukee Airport (via Amtrak Hiawatha). Once arriving downtown, passengers may not even need to leave Union Station to transfer to the train taking them directly to their airport (Metra NCS and Amtrak Hiawatha both depart Union Station). The route will also directly connect Rockford, Dubuque and other towns to the second largest central business district in the United States. Upon arrival downtown passengers may connect to another train, travel by subway ('L'), cab, passenger boat, or bus to local, national or international destinations.
The route will also allow travelers wishing to connect to northwest Illinois and Dubuque after arriving in Chicago. International travelers, travelers coming from other cities (or Chicago) visiting for business, students, or leisure travelers (family, tourism) expect an efficient mass transportation system and the Black Hawk line will provide that additional access to the rich Chicago rail infrastructure. Visitors travelling to northwest Illinois may meet family or friends' cars or shuttles (to schools, hotels or businesses) at their respective stations.
Can the train really bring money to local business?
Yes! Just talk to the residents and business owners of towns that already have Illinois Amtrak service (like Galesburg, IL). These trains already have a track record of providing additional revenue to the businesses of towns they serve.
Wasn't there already a "Black Hawk" train?
In 1850, the Galena & Chicago Union railroad first provided service, but track construction only went as far west as Elgin. In the 1970s the "Black Hawk" train provided service to Dubuque through Rockford but was closed after low ridership and lack of funding for equipment.
A lot has changed since the 1850s and 1970s, however. With gas prices continuing to rise, travelers are looking for more efficient forms and cost-effective forms of transportation. The Black Hawk train, slated to start in 2014, will be providing service during a decade of record high train ridership across the nation, including the Chicago area. Exclusive of energy prices, though, many travelers prefer to avoid the congestion and hassle of driving. Commuters and travelers in Chicago are continuing to follow this trend through the continued use of mass and intermodal transit.
The newest study estimates more than 76,000 passengers would use this line annually generating $1.6 million in revenue. For these and other benefits to communities along the line, service was proposed and will restart.