Bill Text: IL HB4279 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: 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.

Sponsorship: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-29 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lilian Jiménez [HB4279 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB4279-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026HB4279 Introduced , by Rep. Rita Mayfield 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.
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A BILL FOR
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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

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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.
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.

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(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

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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

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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.
Section 15. Metropolitan Planning Organization
coordination.
(a) Each Metropolitan Planning Organization established

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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

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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.