- Published: Thursday, March 17, 2016 03:46 PM
SPRINGFIELD- In 2013, more than 5 million riders at Illinois stations took over 20,160 Amtrak trains in Illinois.
State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) voted to give Gov. Bruce Rauner the financial ability to honor the contract he recently signed with Amtrak to keep trains running in Illinois.
“Amtrak service in Champaign-Urbana draws prospective students and employees to the University of Illinois,” Bennett said. “I’m glad the governor abandoned his plan to eliminate Amtrak funding. Cutting funding for Amtrak is counterproductive.”
The Illini-Saluki rail service is the third most traveled route in Illinois. University students and their families rely on trains to visit Champaign-Urbana and return home.
“We need to continue to look for ways to grow rail systems in Illinois to draw more students and attract economic opportunities to central Illinois,” Bennett said.
