SR0616 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois' economy depends on a robust and efficient transportation network; and

WHEREAS, The sheer size of our State, with automobile travel from the south to the north taking as much as 6 hours, leaves our cities and regions relatively disconnected from each other, slowing our economic growth; and

WHEREAS, One major transportation project can unite the entire State's economy, linking together business centers and generating efficiencies and economic growth; and

WHEREAS, An Illinois Department of Transportation study completed by the University of Illinois found that an O'Hare-Union Station-Champaign-Springfield-St. Louis with a Champaign-Indianapolis branch high speed rail line would generate an operating surplus that would require no annual subsidy; and

WHEREAS, The next steps in the planning process for a statewide high speed rail line are an investment grade ridership analysis to allow potential private financing entities to assess the suitability of the high speed rail line for investment and a Tier One Environmental Impact Statement to qualify the project for federal funds; and

WHEREAS, The extension of the Metra Electric line south from University Park through Will County to Kankakee has long been a transportation objective for the south suburbs; this high speed rail line would serve that market, bringing Kankakee County, Will County, and southern Cook County modern transportation access to Chicago and the southern part of the State; and

WHEREAS, The State-owned land for the planned South Suburban Airport becomes far more valuable if a high speed train station is built on that site and was incorporated with any future airport to be developed there, leveraging the State's existing investment in the South Suburban Airport; and

WHEREAS, The convention business is a major industry for Illinois' economy; any way that could improve the attractiveness of our convention spaces like McCormick Place to major shows is a key component to Illinois' prosperity; and

WHEREAS, Connecting McCormick Place, the continent's largest exhibition venue, directly to O'Hare International Airport, the nation's busiest airport, significantly enhances the attractiveness of Chicago to trade shows, as it allows visitors to avoid the chronically congested Kennedy Expressway with a direct train ride to the existing Metra station in McCormick Place; and

WHEREAS, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has recently stated his interest in developing high speed rail from O'Hare to downtown Chicago and has tasked new Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans with advancing that vision, which would serve as the key anchor in a statewide high speed rail line; and

WHEREAS, Supporting and building new technology companies is a key goal for creating more Illinois jobs; one of the world's greatest centers for cutting-edge research in technology and software is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but Illinois has lost thousands of graduates to other states, which have created new technology companies worth tens of billions of dollars; and

WHEREAS, Connecting the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to downtown Chicago via a 50 minute high-speed train ride is the best way to integrate the financial and business capital of Chicago with the intellectual and technological capital of Urbana-Champaign to support and create new billion-dollar technology businesses in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Three Fortune 500 companies are in Downstate Illinois, Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur, Caterpillar, Inc. in Peoria, and State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington; providing a world-class high speed rail line from O'Hare to downstate Illinois with an eventual connecting train service to other communities would significantly improve the entire State's business climate, particularly for high-level corporate executives who require convenient access to international flights; and

WHEREAS, Placing the St. Louis-area terminus at the East St. Louis Metrolink station would not only save a billion dollars by avoiding the need to build a new bridge over the Mississippi River, as passengers could simply take the existing Metrolink from East St. Louis into Missouri, it would also serve as a game-changer for East St. Louis, stimulating economic development, jobs, and a sustainable tax base for one of the State's most challenged communities; and

WHEREAS, Several nations have sent trade delegations to Illinois expressing sincere interest in exporting their high speed train systems to our State; several nations have also offered to help finance a portion of the capital construction costs, including France, China, and Japan; and

WHEREAS, To date, Illinois has been unable to take advantage of the interest from other nations in partially financing and constructing a high speed rail line, mainly due to a lack of planning; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Governor Rauner and the Illinois Department of Transportation to build upon the work of the 2013 high speed rail report and immediately task their existing consultants to prepare an investment-grade ridership analysis for distribution to interested parties around the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Governor Rauner and the Illinois Department of Transportation to concurrently task their existing consultants to prepare as expeditiously as possible the Tier One Environmental Impact Statement to qualify the high speed rail project for federal funds and to seek federal planning funds to help pay for this study; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his commitment to building high speed train service between O'Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago and urge all State agencies to provide any and all assistance to the City of Chicago in implementing this crucial transportation project; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon Congress to return to their previous practice in Fiscal Year 2010 of appropriating $2.5 billion in the annual federal budget for capital grants to states for high speed rail projects in order to help fund this high speed rail project; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, the Illinois Secretary of Transportation, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and the members of the Illinois congressional delegation.