Passenger Rail vote expected by end of October

The Quad Cities Chamber joined the Rock Island County Passenger Rail Committee to kick off the Illinois Fall Veto Session, where it is widely expected that the Legislature will take up the Senate-passed transit reform package. Committee members, including representatives from Rock Island County, the City of Moline and MetroLINK, dropped by House offices throughout the first day of session on October 13 to keep the Chicago-to-Moline Passenger Rail project top-of-mind.  

The Passenger Rail project was included in the Senate-passed transit reform package during the spring legislative session, which now goes to the House for passage or amendment. 

Conversations picked up on October 15, with the House Executive Committee holding a hearing with the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to discuss a recent change in fiscal cliff estimates. Throughout the hearing, it became clear that structural reform is a top priority for legislators as they grilled RTA administrators for nearly two hours. 

Ultimately, we expect a vote on the transit package during the second week of the session, October 28 – 30.