CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Train travelers in Chicago could have more options out of Union Station in a new blueprint for the future.
The 15-year-plan could be the most ambitious expansion in Amtrak's 50-year history.
Amtrak Connects Us would add trains at existing routes and expand service to cities that might not have seen a passenger train in decades.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the enhanced map is designed to show what's possible if the White House and Congress are committed to passenger rail.
"We've asked Congress for some changes in the law to enable this kind of expansion. And certainly the president has asked Congress for a lot of funding that would be behind some of this expansion of service all over the Midwest," Magliari told WBBM Newsradio.
The $2-trillion infrastructure bill proposed by the White House includes $80 billion for Amtrak. The plan calls for new service out of Union Station to Iowa City, Moline, Rockford, Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin.