These guys are letting us get to St. Louis from Chicago quicker than the time it takes to knock off the Asian Babe in an old spy movie, well not really. You see, the Oriental knockout usually gets clipped about an hour into the movie and high speed rail at best takes five hours.
Executive Director Richard Harnish (in blue shirt) meets with consultants: (from left to right) Dave Goldin, President of Goldin Media, Inc.; Dan Johnson-Weinberger, President of Progressive Public Affairs; and Laurent Pernot, President of Platform Public Affairs, LLC. Four Guys RailRoad - that's High Speed Railroad. Instead of getting to St. Louis in 5.5 hours, outrageous!!!!! You can now get there in a Green Friendly, Shovel Ready, Unprecedented, Rocket Fast four hours - that's a saving of 1.5 hours, Rubes! Time is money and HSR is making you all rich!!!!!!!!!
Ever met a High Speed Rail enthusiast? I have, when I worked in LaPorte, IN and later in Hammond, IN.
Hare Krishnas, Mimes and Squeegee Capitalists are more fun to be around and make much more sense. They'll take whatever change you have on you; HSR Geeks want your dreams.
Four guys in Logan Square have convinced Pat "the Dreamming Guv" Quinn that he too can be a railroad tycoon. He is already Martin Luther who nailed his tongue and his tie to Holy Name Cathedral back in November - I awwl A CristhYun! Theses Guv, theses.
Now, thanks to postman Ray La Hood*, President Obama's token Republican and Dept. of Transportation Rail Spinner in Chief, dropping off a check for $1.4 billion the dream we all share . . . of going between Dwight, IL and Pontiac State Prison will take only minutes, where now it takes you . . .minutes.
The full cost of the High Speed Boondoggle is $ 4 billion. So that means we are on the hook for only $ 3 billion! I give you a buck and you give me three and we all benefit! Not only that we shave an hour off a train ride to St. Louis.
Let's see; I have taken exactly . . .NO trips via train to St. Louis. Drove. Needed the car in St. Looey -Grant's Farm, Busch tour and all that stuff - LeClade's Landing, Dinner at Stan Musials. . .
So here's your President Obama High Speed Rail Logan Square Front Men
Midwest High Speed Rail Association:
First their vision, which is really President Obama's and therefore something we must have yesterday!
Our Vision
President Obama has created an exciting vision for high-speed rail in America, proposing that 80% of Americans be served by high-speed trains by the year 2036. Perhaps no region in the U.S. is better positioned to capitalize on this vision than the Upper Midwest. Leveraging a diverse manufacturing, agricultural, and business services economy anchored by nine major metropolitan areas, high-speed rail could have a transformative impact that would unify the Midwest into one the world's most powerful economic regions.
That would mean:
•Building four 220-mph bullet train routes to put 43 million people within 3 hours of Chicago, with the first demonstration route completed by 2020.
•Modernizing existing Amtrak service by 2020 to deliver convenient and comfortable service at speeds of at least 90 miles per hour.
•Creating strong connections to local transit at modernized railroad stations.
Together, these projects will revolutionize how we travel, and create more than 1.1 million jobs across the region
Here is the current Public transportation packages for Pat " Green Dwarf" Hickey's Green Friendly Public Transit Trip from my house to St. Louis Cathedral, St. Louis MO- Google Travel offered about six suggestions - here is one:
Transit directions to Cathedral Basilica-St Louis
(314) 373-8200
Depart: 107#$ S Rockwell StChicago, IL 60655
Walk to Western & 108th Street
About 5 mins (0.3 mi)
Beta: Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.
1. Head south on S Rockwell St toward W 108th St
43 ft
2. Turn left onto W 108th St
0.2 mi
3. Turn left onto S Western Ave
59 ft
Walk to Western & 108th Street
About 5 mins
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Western & 108th Street Stop ID: 8455
49ABus towards 135th
2:51pm - 3:05pm (13 mins, 23 stops)
Service run by Chicago Transit Authority - Buy tickets
Route Information - transitchicago.com
Penultimate stop: Western & York
Bus - 49A - South Western - Direction: 135th
Service run by Chicago Transit Authority
2:51pm Depart Western & 108th Street (Stop ID: 8455)
3:05pm Arrive Western & Vermont (Stop ID: 8478)
Route Information - transitchicago.com
Ticket prices
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Western & Vermont Stop ID: 8478
Walk to Blue Island-Vermont Metra
About 3 mins (12 mins to make transfer) (0.1 mi)
Walk to Blue Island-Vermont Metra
About 3 mins
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Blue Island-Vermont Metra
RITrain towards Joliet
3:17pm - 4:03pm (46 mins, 9 stops)
Service run by Metra
Route Information - metrarail.com
Penultimate stop: New Lenox Metra
Train - RI - Rock Island - Direction: Joliet
Service run by Metra
3:17pm Depart Blue Island-Vermont Metra
4:03pm Arrive Joliet Metra
Route Information - metrarail.com
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Joliet Metra
Walk to Joliet Union Station
About 1 min (1 hour 2 mins to make transfer) (26 ft)
Walk to Joliet Union Station
About 1 min
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Joliet Union Station
Lincoln ServiceTrain 305 towards St. Louis Gateway Station
5:05pm - 9:45pm (4 hours 40 mins, 8 stops)
Alert.
Alert.
"Amtrak recommends arriving to the station at least 30 minutes before scheduled departure." - amtrak.com
Service run by Amtrak
Route Information - amtrak.com
Penultimate stop: Alton Amtrak
Train - Lincoln Service - 305 - Direction: St. Louis Gateway Station
Service run by Amtrak
5:05pm Depart Joliet Union Station
9:45pm Arrive St. Louis Gateway Station
Alert.
Route Information - amtrak.com
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St. Louis Gateway Station
Walk to Civic Center Metrolink Station
About 1 min (10 mins to make transfer) (223 ft)
Walk to Civic Center Metrolink Station
About 1 min
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Civic Center Metrolink Station
MetrolinkTrain towards Shrewsbury Lansdowne I-44
9:55pm - 10:03pm (8 mins, 2 stops)
Service run by Metro St. Louis
Penultimate stop: Union Sta Metrolink Station
Train - Metrolink - MetroLink - Direction: Shrewsbury Lansdowne I-44
Service run by Metro St. Louis
9:55pm Depart Civic Center Metrolink Station
10:03pm Arrive Central West End Metrolink Station
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Central West End Metrolink Station
Walk to 4430 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108-2402
About 15 mins (0.8 mi)
Beta: Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.
1. Head east toward S Taylor Ave
Take the stairs
0.1 mi
2. Turn left onto S Taylor Ave
0.5 mi
3. Turn right onto Lindell Blvd
0.2 mi
Walk to 4430 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108-2402
About 15 mins
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Cathedral Basilica-St Louis
4430 Maryland Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63108-2402
OKAY Totals between 7 hours and change and 8 hours and change.
Now here is selfish Carbon Gunboats Paddy Hickey's Trip by my car
302 mi, 5 hours 14 mins I-57 S, I-72 W and I-55 S
300 mi, 5 hours 19 mins I-57 S and I-70 W
293 mi, 5 hours 20 mins I-55 S
Driving directions to Cathedral Basilica-St Louis 3D2D
(314) 373-8200
- more info »
107%^ S Rockwell StChicago, IL 60655
1. Head south on S Rockwell St toward W 108th St
0.4 mi
2. Turn left onto W 111th St
0.8 mi
3. Continue onto W Monterey Ave
0.5 mi
4. Turn right onto S Marshfield Ave
210 ft
5. Take the ramp on the left onto I-57 S
120 mi
6. Take exit 235B to merge onto I-72 W toward Decatur/Springfield
78.7 mi
7. Take exit 103A to merge onto I-55 S/I-72 W toward St Louis/Jacksonville
5.3 mi
8. Slight left onto I-55 S (signs for St Louis)
73.9 mi
9. Merge onto I-70 W
Entering Missouri
18.8 mi
10. Continue onto I-64 W
2.2 mi
11. Take exit 38A to merge onto Forest Park Ave toward Grand Blvd
1.3 mi
12. Turn right onto S Sarah St
0.3 mi
13. Turn left onto Lindell Blvd
Destination will be on the right
0.5 mi
Cathedral Basilica-St Louis
4430 Maryland AvenueSaint Louis, MO 63108-2402
Home again -given the fact that there are not - well legally anyway -high speed buses my journey VIA HSR will take SIX( 6) hours. I drive and it is 5 hours and 20 minutes tops.
High Speed Rail - 3 Billion Bucks to shave an hour off a trip to St. Louis that I don't take.
No thanks.
Quinn and HSR Dudes: "Too late; already done. Eat it Hickey (literally and figuratively) and like it."
But I am probably missing the bigger picture - how will HSR help the four guys in Logan Square. The important thing about HSR, like so many really important tax-payer burdens, has absolutely nothing to do with your thoughts on the matter. It is a High Speed Railroad, after all.
*
The Illinois Department of Transportation has published the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the development of high - speed rail passenger service between Chicago and St. Louis. The FEIS evaluates alternatives and documents potential impacts of the higher speed rail project on natural resources, noise, air quality, historic and archeological sites, farmland and communities along the corridor. It is a key step toward implementing improved rail passenger service in Illinois.
The proposed action will provide high-speed rail passenger service between Chicago and St. Louis along the current Amtrak route. South of Dwight, the maximum operating speed will be 110 mph. North of Dwight, the existing maximum operating speed of 79 mph will be maintained. No physical improvements and no changes in operating characteristics (i.e., number and speed of trains) will be made north of Dwight. With these improvements travel time between Chicago and St. Louis will be reduced from approximately 5.5 hours to approximately 4.0 hours.
Custer Park to Braidwood, now boar . . .arriving!
