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Midwest High Speed Rail Association
Members Helped Make Illinois Hearings Successful
By KEVIN BRUBAKER
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Over 400 citizens attended public hearings in late July 2000
on the proposed Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail project.
Supporters outnumbered critics by about four to one.
The difference from six years prior to that could not be
more dramatic. At that time, critics dramatically outnumbered
supporters. The shift in public sentiment is due to the state's
decision to lower maximum speeds from 125 mph to 110 mph along
most of the corridor, the decision to reduce the number of
grade crossing closures significantly, and outreach efforts
by high-speed rail supporters.
Six hearings were conducted along the corridor, in Alton,
Springfield, Bloomington, Joliet, Kankakee, and Chicago. Midwest
High-Speed Rail Association members attended every one of
the hearings and testified in support of comfortable,
convenient, reliable, and fast train service.
Merrill Travis of the Illinois Department of Transportation
[since retired and now a member of the Midwest High Speed
Rail Association board of directors] thanked the Midwest High
Speed Rail Association (MHSRC) and the Environmental Law and
Policy Center (ELPC) for their efforts in building attendance.
Tim Shaunesy, a MHSRC member from Chicago and Jesse Auerbach
from ELPC teamed together to phone all of our Illinois members
to ask for their support. Bill Mohoney, a MHSRC member from
Lockport, attended the whole day at Joliet to help answer
questions and talk to the press.
"Thank you" to all who answered our call to attend
public hearings and voice their support for high-speed rail.
Civic organizations endorsing high-speed rail included: the
cities of Joliet, Bloomington, and Kankakee, the Chicago Federation
of Labor, the United Transportation Union, the Sierra Club,
Citizens for Modern Transit, and The Council of State Governments.
Two major newspapers have also endorsed the project. The
Daily Southtown wrote that "high-speed rail service is
proving increasingly popular between Washington DC and New
YorkÉTravelers in the Midwest ought to have such options
as well." The Star newspapers closed their editorial
as follows: "We are glad to see plans, long on the drawing
board but with little government impetus, finally reaching
fruition. High-speed rail is way overdue here in Illinois.
We say, full speed ahead."
Opposition to high-speed rail was largely limited to individual
farmers concerned about their particular grade crossings.
In the case of farmers, many arrived angry and departed relieved
that their farm would not be impacted. Answering the query
of a reporter, one farmer paused to think, then answered that,
yes, she would like to take the high-speed train if it were
available. In all, less than two dozen farmers opposed the
project.
The format of the hearings also helped alleviate concern.
Instead of the typical auditorium setting with bureaucrats
on the podium and impatient citizens waiting to testify, the
hearings were set up as "open houses." A continuously
running 12-minute slide show explained the high-speed rail
plans. In another room, surrounded by a dozen easels with
detailed maps, state officials and their consultants answered
people's questions one-on-one. Huddling over detailed crossing-by-crossing
maps, they were able to explain to citizens exactly what was
being proposed in the area they cared about. Meanwhile, a
court reporter sat in the corner of the room taking individual
testimony from those who wished to offer it.
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