IL HR1188

Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) shall develop a strategy to acquire additional passenger railcars to supplement the "Next-Generation" train fleet before those trains are delivered.

Any supplemental trains must operate at speeds of 110 MPH, have over 72 seats per coach, be interoperable with the "Next-Generation" train specification, and be delivered in advance of "Next-Generation" train receipt.

IDOT must deliver a written action plan implementing this strategy within 30 days to the Illinois House of Representatives, Governor, Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Director of Management and Budget.

State-supported passenger trains are operating at full capacity with ridership demand having doubled in the last 5 years, requiring additional capacity beyond the "Next-Generation" replacement trains.

Federal law requires states to make capital payments for trains in service beginning October 2013, with Illinois able to direct these payments toward high-capacity supplemental trains that can offset costs through increased ticket sales.