FRA releases new Midwest Regional Rail plan

[marmar]

FRA releases new Midwest Regional Rail plan
Oct. 14, 2021

The plan envisions a network that consists of of four “pillar corridors” radiating out from Chicago, with endpoints in Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Detroit.


The Midwest Regional Rail Plan was released Oct. 13 by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

The plan lays out a vision for a network of high-speed trains that would transform travel across the Midwest. It also makes a strong case for fast, frequent trains that are coordinated and well-integrated into a network. While speed gets most of the spotlight when people talk about trains, frequency and coordination are key to leveraging the full power of a rail network. The plan also points out the urgency of regional cooperation and big-picture planning.

The plan envisions a network that consists of of four “pillar corridors” radiating out from Chicago, with endpoints in Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Detroit. These corridors are the system’s backbone and would make connections much faster and easier between many cities throughout the Midwest.

That’s because the “pillar corridors” would be integrated with transit systems and regional lines that connect mid-sized and major cities—like Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and Kansas City and St. Louis. There would be 24 trains per day on the “pillar” lines and 16 trains per day on the regional lines—an increase over current service levels on U.S. passenger trains. .......(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/press-release/21242285/high-speed-rail-alliance-fras-releases-new-midwest-regional-rail-plan