Establishing Passenger Rail between Chicago and Iowa City

As part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI), the Iowa and Illinois departments of Transportation, in conjunction with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), have been evaluating specific alternative routes to establish passenger rail connections between Chicago and Iowa City.

These alternatives underwent a thorough environmental assessment (EA) to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and help qualify the planning effort for federal grant funding from FRA and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) of 2009.

The EA evaluates the proposed routes for their potential impacts on the human, natural and economic environment along the corridors. It was submitted to the FRA on October 23, 2009 along with a summary of comments received on the EA.

Public Comment Period

A public information meeting was held on September 29, to share findings of the EA of the proposed route and gather public input. Materials from the meeting, as well as comments on the EA and associated responses, can be found on the Resources page.