SB3285 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 17224 LNS 30645 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3285

Introduced 2/3/2026, by Sen. Ram Villivalam

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Passenger Rail Planning Act. Sets forth intercity passenger rail routes serving or originating in the State. Requires the Department of Transportation to incorporate the aspirational frequencies into the Illinois State Rail Plan and the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan. Authorizes the Department to nominate corridors for inclusion in the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program and enter into memoranda of understanding or other cooperative agreements for each identified interstate corridor to provide for shared data, joint investment prioritization, and aligned performance measures and planning schedules. Requires the Department to include a recurring section titled Progress Toward High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail within each update to the Illinois State Rail Plan and Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. Requires each Metropolitan Planning Organization in the State to: (1) recognize the target intercity and long-distance passenger rail frequencies; (2) identify relevant rail corridors within or adjacent to the Metropolitan Planning Organization planning area; and (3) include a narrative discussion of how regional transportation investments can support achievement of those frequency targets. Requires the Department and each Metropolitan Planning Organization to consider progress toward the target passenger rail frequencies when developing project prioritization criteria for multimodal investments. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning transportation.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Passenger Rail Planning Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Illinois is the historic and operational hub of the nation's passenger rail network, serving as the national terminal for multiple passenger rail routes providing vital interstate and regional connections.

(2) The Federal Railroad Administration's Midwest Regional Rail Plan (2021) identifies Illinois as the center of a high-frequency intercity rail system connecting major Midwestern cities and states. The Plan identifies service levels on 4 routes radiating from Chicago with 16 hourly to 25 hourly, plus half-hourly peaks, daily departures in each direction per day.

(3) The Midwest Regional Rail Plan also identifies other routes radiating from Chicago without specifying service levels.

(4) Increasing passenger rail service frequencies across all corridors and long-distance routes will strengthen Illinois' economy, reduce congestion, improve sustainability, and enhance access to federal and private investment.

(5) It is, therefore, the policy of the State to define and pursue an integrated high-speed and intercity passenger rail network as part of the Illinois State Rail Plan and to ensure that these criteria are incorporated into all metropolitan, regional, and statewide transportation planning processes in a manner consistent with federal law and planning cycles.

(6) The General Assembly recognizes that many existing intercity and long-distance passenger rail services within the State operate over infrastructure that is privately owned and controlled by railroads. These railroads operate complex, capital-intensive networks with operating practices designed to meet the needs of their customers, including the efficient movement of long trains whose schedules may be less time-sensitive than frequent passenger rail service. High-frequency, time-sensitive passenger rail operations may be operationally inconsistent with certain railroad business models, particularly where network capacity is constrained or dispatching priorities differ.

(7) The General Assembly further recognizes that train paths, operating slots, dispatching priority, and network capacity on privately owned railroad infrastructure are valuable commercial assets. Sustainable and scalable passenger rail service requires fair, transparent, and mutually beneficial compensation arrangements that reflect the value of these assets, the opportunity costs of their use, and the capital and operating impacts borne by railroads.

(8) The aspirational passenger rail frequencies established in this Act are intended to guide long-term planning and investment prioritization and shall not be construed to require that future passenger rail services operate on the same rail lines, alignments, or infrastructure currently in use. In planning to achieve these frequencies, the Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Planning Organizations shall consider all reasonable infrastructure and operational options, including capacity expansions, grade separations, advanced dispatching systems, shared-use agreements, and the construction of new or improved publicly owned rail infrastructure where appropriate.

(9) The General Assembly affirms the essential role of railroads in supporting the State's economy, supply chains, and industrial competitiveness. Railroads operating within the State have distinct network configurations, customer mixes, investment strategies, and long-term growth plans. Passenger rail planning under this Act shall consider these differences and seek solutions that respect railroad operational needs while advancing statewide passenger mobility goals.

(10) The General Assembly further finds that intercity passenger rail planning is closely linked to airport planning and aviation system performance. Planning under this Act shall consider how expanded passenger rail service can improve access to commercial service airports, reduce roadway congestion, and expand nonautomobile travel options for passengers, employees, and visitors traveling to and from airports.

(11) Passenger rail planning shall also consider airside capacity constraints at airports, including gate utilization, runway capacity, and airline slot usage, and how improved rail connectivity may allow certain short-haul air markets to be supplemented or replaced by passenger rail service where appropriate. Such planning may identify opportunities to reallocate limited aviation capacity toward longer-distance or higher-value air service when comparable rail alternatives exist.

Section 10. Establishment of target rail frequencies.

(a) The following criteria are established for intercity passenger rail routes serving or originating in the State. This outline shall serve as official benchmarks for statewide rail planning, investment prioritization, and coordination with neighboring states, Amtrak, and other railroads.

(b) The following corridors shall be designated as:

(1) Hourly service routes, with trains operating on pulse schedules at least once per hour, in each direction, throughout the day (5 a.m. to 10 p.m.):

(A) Chicago to Milwaukee.

(B) Chicago to Madison to St. Paul.

(C) Chicago to Rockford.

(D) Chicago to East St. Louis to St. Louis to Kansas City.

(E) Chicago to Detroit to Toronto.

(F) Chicago to Cleveland.

(G) Chicago to Fort Wayne to Columbus.

(H) Chicago to Indianapolis to Cincinnati.

(I) Chicago to Indianapolis to Louisville to Nashville to Atlanta.

(J) Chicago to Champaign.

(K) Chicago to the Northeast Corridor (Acela).

(2) Every-2-hour service routes, with trains operating at least once per every 2 hours, in each direction, throughout the day (5 a.m. to 10 p.m.):

(A) Chicago to Moline.

(B) Chicago to Peoria.

(C) Milwaukee to Green Bay (by extension of Chicago to Milwaukee).

(3) Every-4-hour service routes, with trains operating at least once per every 4 hours, in each direction, throughout the day (5 a.m. to 10 p.m.):

(A) Champaign to Carbondale to Memphis (by extension of Chicago to Champaign).

(B) Rockford to East Dubuque (by extension of Chicago to Rockford).

(C) Quad Cities to Des Moines to Omaha to Denver (by extension of Chicago to Moline).

(D) Chicago to Galesburg to Quincy to Hannibal.

(c) The Department of Transportation shall incorporate these aspirational service frequencies into the Illinois State Rail Plan prepared under 49 U.S.C. 22705 and into the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan required under 23 U.S.C. 135.

(d) For each interstate corridor identified in subsection (b), the Department of Transportation is authorized and encouraged to:

(1) nominate such corridors for inclusion in the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program under 49 U.S.C. 25101; and

(2) enter into memoranda of understanding or other cooperative agreements with neighboring states under 23 U.S.C. 135(b)(1) and 135(c), and consistent with 23 U.S.C. 135(e)(3), to provide for shared data, joint investment prioritization, and aligned performance measures and planning schedules.

(e) The Department of Transportation shall evaluate opportunities to designate and advance one or more of the corridors identified in subsection (b) as components of the National Multimodal Freight Network under 49 U.S.C. 70103, consistent with the national multimodal freight policy under 49 U.S.C. 70101, where such designations would enhance eligibility for federal discretionary or formula funding.

(f) The Department of Transportation shall include a recurring section titled "Progress Toward High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail" within each update of the Illinois State Rail Plan and Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. That section shall summarize:

(1) the current level of service frequency in each corridor;

(2) the gap between existing and aspirational service levels;

(3) investments, capital improvements, or service agreements made toward achieving the target frequencies; and

(4) coordination with neighboring states, Amtrak, and federal agencies to advance these targets.

(g) The Department of Transportation shall transmit each updated Progress Toward High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail section to the Governor and the General Assembly concurrently with the Illinois State Rail Plan submission to the Federal Railroad Administration.

(h) The Department of Transportation shall align submissions and project proposals with applicable federal selection preferences in intercity passenger rail and multimodal grant programs, including 49 U.S.C. 24911 (Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail), where consistency with the Corridor Identification and Development Program (49 U.S.C. 25101) is favored.

(i) In carrying out the requirements of this Act, the Department of Transportation shall coordinate passenger rail planning with airport sponsors, aviation authorities, and relevant planning agencies. Such coordination shall address both landside access to airports, including passenger rail connections, and airside capacity considerations, including potential implications for gate usage, airline scheduling, and regional aviation demand where passenger rail alternatives are planned or proposed.

(j) To the extent a State rail plan or related statewide rail planning document is in effect or subsequently adopted, the Department of Transportation shall ensure reciprocal integration between passenger rail planning under this Act and other statewide rail planning efforts. Such integration shall include consideration of railroad capacity needs and expansion plans in passenger rail planning, and consideration of aspirational passenger rail service levels when evaluating infrastructure investments, including new or replacement bridges, grade separations, terminal improvements, and dispatching protocols intended to reduce operational conflicts.

Section 15. Metropolitan Planning Organization coordination.

(a) Each Metropolitan Planning Organization established under 23 U.S.C. 134 within this State shall, during each federally required update of its metropolitan long-range transportation plan or Transportation Improvement Program:

(1) recognize the target intercity and long-distance passenger rail frequencies established in Section 10;

(2) identify relevant rail corridors within or adjacent to the Metropolitan Planning Organization planning area; and

(3) include a narrative discussion of how regional transportation investments can support achievement of those frequency targets.

(b) The Department of Transportation shall provide technical assistance, data, modeling tools, and mapping resources to Metropolitan Planning Organizations and regional councils to facilitate integration of passenger rail frequencies into multimodal planning. The Department of Transportation may enter into memoranda of understanding with Amtrak, neighboring state departments of transportation, or regional rail authorities to share data and coordinate planning consistent with this Act.

(c) The Department of Transportation shall, at least once every 4 years and consistent with the federal planning update cycle, convene consultations with each Metropolitan Planning Organization to review passenger rail investments, identify opportunities to advance frequency targets, and coordinate applications for federal or multistate funding that support those goals.

Section 20. Investment prioritization. The Department of Transportation and each Metropolitan Planning Organization shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consider progress toward the target passenger rail frequencies established in Section 10 when developing project prioritization criteria for multimodal investments, particularly those affecting rail capacity, terminal access, or multimodal connectivity.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.