WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued two Records of Decision (for the required National Environmental Policy Act analysis on the Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail corridor.

The action positions the project for future federal funding to improve passenger rail speeds, frequencies and reliability.

In its decisions, the FRA selected the Rock Island Corridor as the most efficient route between Joliet and Chicago and chose a consolidated route along 10th Street through Springfield. The decisions will make the corridor eligible for new trains, improved frequencies, help improve on-time performance, and ultimately reduce travel time to less than four hours.