Amtrak is looking to start a pilot program next year that would bus residents from Peoria to the passenger rail service in Bloomington/Normal. The company says a bus service would generate more than 27,000 riders. The City is looking at Bradley University and the CityLink Center on Adams as two sites for the proposed Amtrak bus terminal. Peoria City Manager Patrick Urich says the bus service makes more economic sense than to bring passenger rail directly to Peoria:
“It’s the fiscal environment we’re in today, it's just difficult to make that type of $150-200 million investment in rail service knowing that there’s also, 35 miles away, a 110-miles per hour high speed rail connection that’s going in.”
Urich says Amtrak will likely launch the pilot bus program starting next spring. He says Amtrak could contract out with an existing bus company for the service. Urich says there are already multiple bus trips from Peoria to Normal daily. He says the Amtrak pilot would include an ‘all-in-one’ ticket that covers both the bus and the passenger rail transit.