Full Text of SB1901

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1901

Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Steve Stadelman

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

Appropriates $575,000,000 to the Department of Transportation for expenses related to the Statewide Railway Program. Effective July 1, 2025.

AN ACT concerning appropriations.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The amount of $70,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for expenses of planning, design, and environmental clearance of a new electrified high-speed line designed for speeds in excess of 186 miles per hour in relation to the Statewide Railway Program.

Section 10. The amount of $230,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for expenses of capital improvements to railroad lines that currently host passenger trains, upgrades for existing railroad lines establish new passenger rail routes, or to new construct railroad lines to establish new passenger rail routes in relation to the Statewide Railway Program. Eligible expenses include: repairing, reconstructing, or building new railroad bridges; installing or modernizing overhead catenary for electrically powered trains; upgrading existing mainline tracks to FRA Class 4 standards or better; adding second or third mainline tracks; and installing train control systems.

Section 15. The amount of $100,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for expenses of purchasing modern trains and the construction of new maintenance facilities or the modernization of existing maintenance facilities in relation to the Statewide Railway Program.

Section 20. The amount of $2,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for salaries and other expenses related to adding professional staff in the rail division of the Office of Intermodal Project Implementation in relation to the Statewide Railway Program.

Section 25. The amount of $100,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for the operation of passenger trains linking communities outside of the Regional Transportation Authority boundaries to Chicago and O'Hare and the operation of passenger trains linking communities outside of the Regional Transportation Authority boundaries to other communities outside of the Regional Transportation Authority boundaries in relation to the Statewide Railway Program.

Section 30. The amount of $50,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for maintaining mainline tracks on passenger rail routes at Class 5 or better in relation to the Statewide Railway Program.

Section 35. The amount of $23,000,000, or so much of that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Transportation for the operation of regional buses to connect communities without a railway station outside of the Regional Transportation Authority to the state passenger railway network and to supplement frequency on passenger rail routes in relation to the Statewide Railway Program.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2025.