(The Center Square) — Illinois lawmakers have approved a $1.5 billion transit package, which includes funding for the long-delayed Moline-to-Chicago passenger rail line. Democrats praised the move as a major victory for the Quad Cities, while critics called it an unnecessary financial strain on taxpayers.
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Moline) celebrated the approval on social media, calling it “a BFD for the Quad Cities.”
“We are closer than ever to having passenger trains between Moline and Chicago,” Sorensen said. “Now, we will use these state funds, along with federal funds secured by former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and me.”
However, State Sen. Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) voiced skepticism, warning that the project’s costs and ridership estimates remain uncertain.
“There’s an awful lot of study that needs to go into determining what the real cost of this service is going to be to the taxpayers,” DeWitte told The Center Square. “Until they start looking at what the potential passenger flow might be, I don’t think they have any clue what this project is really going to cost.”
DeWitte, who serves on the Senate Transportation Committee, also criticized the process behind the legislation, noting that it was passed in the early morning hours on Halloween.
“This was a major piece of legislation passed at 4 a.m.,” he said. “There’s a reason why these types of bills get run that early in the morning — because they don’t want anybody to see it.”
He described the measure as a “Christmas tree bill,” suggesting lawmakers attached local projects to secure votes for the larger spending package.
“The only way they are able to get support for significant funding proposals like this is by hanging their wish list items on the bill in exchange for votes,” DeWitte said. “There’s rail service to Moline, improvements to Willard Airport, subsidies for Springfield’s airport service, electric buses, bike paths—everyone is hanging ornaments on the tree.”
DeWitte cited the Elgin-to-Rockford rail extension as a cautionary example. Despite state subsidies, several cities opted out, which reduced ridership and revenue.
“Now you have the largest city in McHenry County choosing not to participate in the Elgin-Rockford extension,” he said. “That removes a significant number of potential daily riders, which will impact the revenue stream and ultimately increase how much the state will need to subsidize the service. I can easily envision a similar scenario occurring on other proposed routes, whether it’s Chicago to Moline, Chicago to Peoria, or Peoria to the Quad Cities.”
He also criticized the lack of comprehensive studies before committing to such costly projects.
“It’s a very expensive preliminary study process,” DeWitte said.
Beyond funding concerns, DeWitte emphasized the need for equitable representation among suburban “collar counties” that depend on services like CTA and METRA.
“Now that this legislation has passed, I hope the process comes together so that both the city and the collar counties have equitable representation in how this significant new revenue stream is allocated and spent,” he added.
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