Huntley, IL, had spent over $50,000 to build a station platform. $3 million had been spent out of the $223 million plan. In February 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner announced that development of the route would be put on hold until further notice, as the state did not have sufficient funds to continue the project.
IDOT planned to continue working with the CN to eventually extend the route to Dubuque. This would require construction of a connecting track between the two lines near Big Timber Road station. Instead, the train would take Metra's Milwaukee District / West Line and Union Pacific tracks through Elgin, Huntley, and Belvidere before terminating in Rockford. After two years of negotiations, IDOT had been unable to reach a deal with Canadian National to use their lines. In April 2014, Governor Pat Quinn announced a $223 million investment to begin service as far as Rockford by 2015. The equipment will instead be single level Siemens Venture cars built at its plant in Sacramento, California, similar to cars supplied to Brightline for its services in Florida. However one of the first cars manufactured failed a critical safety test, the contract was cancelled and the plant never fully opened. The equipment to be used on the route was to be the Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Car built by Nippon Sharyo at a new plant in Rochelle, Illinois, which is located just 24 miles (39 km) south of a portion of the proposed route. IDOT confirmed the return of the "Black Hawk" name in 2012. This would have been the only Illinois Service train not running along a Metra line. The route would use the trackage of the Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad, itself owned by the Canadian National Railway. On December 10, 2010, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that service would begin in 2014. Once in operation, the service would require roughly $5 million a year in subsidies from the state. Initial capital costs ranged from $32 million to $55 million, depending on the route. In 2007, Amtrak, at the state of Illinois' request, conducted a feasibility study to reinstate the Black Hawk route to Rockford and Dubuque. : 44 Restoration Black Hawk (proposed route) Overview The route used the former Illinois Central Railroad route (then part of the Illinois Central Gulf) between Chicago's Union Station and Bridgeport and the Freeport Subdivision west of Bridgeport.
#Amtrak train status full#
During a good part of the summer of 1977, the Black Hawk ran with a full dining car and dome coaches. During the mid-to-late 1970s the consist usually included three cars, including a food service car of one type or another. During the RDC days, the usual consist consisted of three RDCs. On these trips, the consists could swell to as many as seven to ten cars. Several Rockford based groups sponsored special charter trips to Chicago events such as Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox games as well as performances of "The Ice Capades" on the Black Hawk. The Black Hawk ceased on September 30, 1981, after Illinois reduced its appropriations for passenger service. Amfleet coaches arrived in November 1976. Further, power for the Black Hawk also varied on a regular basis with GE P30CHs, EMD SDP40Fs, EMD F40PHs and the occasional Illinois Central Gulf "Geep" filling in for ailing power (an ICG EMD GP10 towed the last RDC consist into Chicago in 1976). Equipment varied, including ex- Chicago & North Western gallery cars, dome cars, boat-tailed observation cars, full diners, lunch counter diners and ex-ATSF Hi-Level Coaches. Conventional diesel locomotives and coaches replaced the RDCs after February 2, 1976. The first Black Hawk began running on February 13, 1974, using Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs).
Prior to Amtrak, the Illinois Central Railroad operated the Land O'Corn between Chicago and Waterloo, Iowa, discontinuing it in 1967. The Black Hawk, made up of Budd Rail Diesel Cars, at Rockford in July 1975
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