Rock Island County Board pledges support for Chicago-to-Moline passenger rail
'We felt it was the right time to reiterate our support, adding our voice to the chorus of voices inthe Quad Cities region, who want to see passenger rail transformed from a vision to a reality,'said Rock Island County Board Chairman Richard 'Quijas' Brunk. 'For approximately 15 years, community leaders, the City of Moline and other local governments, Quad Cities area legislators, MetroLINK, the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, and many others have been advocating to make this happen. We wanted to voice our continued support, and highlight many of the benefits to our region.'
County Board Member Porter McNeil agreed it was the right time.
'The resolution outlines the big pluses of passenger rail – the regional economic development,the boost in tourism for the Quad Cities, the connection to Chicago for entrepreneurs, andaccess to affordable transportation for all,' said McNeil. 'A week ago, Illinois' Acting Secretaryof Transportation encouraged all of us to publicly support the passenger rail investment. This isan exciting, once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Quad Cities and the entire region.'
Last week at the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal's Transportation & Infrastructure Seminar, acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi told the audience that the Illinois Department of Transportation is .
Last month, the City of Moline hosted a press conference that served as .
Speakers, including Illinois State Senator Mike Halpin, Illinois State Representative Gregg Johnson and Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati, discussed .
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