Rockford station
Rockford station | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Black Hawk at the former Rockford station in July 1975 | ||||||||||||||||
| Location |
501 South Main Street Rockford, Illinois | |||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Rockford | |||||||||||||||
| Line(s) |
Amtrak: | |||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Brick | |||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Disabled access | Yes | |||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||
| Station code |
Amtrak: RCK (Van Galder Bus Station) | |||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1890 | |||||||||||||||
| Opening | TBA | |||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1981 | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Rockford station is a proposed railroad station in Rockford, Illinois. Planned to serve a new Amtrak corridor running from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa, it was initially scheduled to be in place by 2015.[1] The route will run on the same tracks the former Black Hawk line used from 1974-1981. The station's construction was intended to start in 2012 just south of downtown Rockford along Illinois Route 2. The city of Rockford received $3 million from the state of Illinois in January 2012.[2] Currently, the city of Rockford is seeking the rest of the $12 million needed to move the project forward. On September 28, 2012, the city of Rockford and the Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD) submitted a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to start the design work for the station.[3] The project is, again, postponed due to the Illinois Government suspending all unnecessary expenditures pending review.[4]
New proposal
On April 10, 2014, It was announced that Rockford would become the terminus for the Black Hawk route for the immediate future with a new proposal for a temporary Amtrak station on 7th street in Rockford. This plan was proposed following the inability to negotiate a track upgrade budget with the Canadian National Railway, which owns the tracks the former station proposal would have used. When the state negotiates a deal with the CN to eventually get the route extended to Dubuque, IA, the permanent station will be built on South Main Street.[5]
In July 2014 the city announced plans for a temporary platform at South Main and Cedar, on the west side of the Rock River.[6] A second Amtrak station in Rockford was proposed along Alpine Road, but was never built.
References
- ↑ Sweeny, Chuck (May 18, 2012). "Amtrak route for area on target for late 2014, early 2015". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- ↑ Leaf, Brian (2012-01-17). "Rockford to get Amtrak train service at South Main Street". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ "RFP/RFQ Detail". Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- ↑ "Stateline Waiting on Amtrak". WIFR. January 25, 2015.
- ↑ "$223 Million Announced to Restore Chicago to Rockford Amtrak Service". WIFR. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
- ↑ Leaf, Brian (July 15, 2014). "Rockford rethinks Amtrak train station site". Rockford Register Star.
External links
Media related to Rockford (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 42°16′02″N 89°05′53″W / 42.2672°N 89.0981°W