Illinois approves $1.5B transit package, funding for long-delayed
projects
[November 08, 2025]
Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers approved a $1.5 billion transit
package, including long-delayed Moline-to-Chicago rail, hailed by
Democrats as a ‘big win’ for the Quad Cities but criticized as an
expensive burden on taxpayers.
Illinois U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, celebrated the development
on social media, calling it “a ‘BFD’ for the Quad Cities.”
“We are closer than ever to having passenger trains between Moline and
Chicago. Now, we will use these state funds, along with federal funds
secured by former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and me,” said Sorensen.
But state Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, said the project remains in
its early stages and warned that the costs and ridership projections are
still unclear.
“There’s an awful lot of study that needs to go into determining what
the real cost of this service is going to be to the taxpayers,” DeWitte
told The Center Square. “Until they start looking at what the potential
passenger flow might be, I don’t think they have any clue what this
project is really going to cost.”
DeWitte, a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, also
questioned the process behind the $1.5 billion package, which lawmakers
passed in the early morning hours on Halloween.
“This was a major piece of legislation passed at 4 a.m.,” he said.
“There’s a reason why these types of bills get run that early in the
morning — because they don’t want anybody to see it.”
DeWitte described the legislation as a “Christmas tree bill,” where
lawmakers attach local projects in exchange for votes to advance larger
spending measures.
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“The only way they are able to get support for significant funding
proposals like this is by hanging their wish list items on the bill
in exchange for votes,” DeWitte said. “There’s rail service to
Moline, improvements to Willard Airport, subsidies for Springfield’s
airport service, electric buses, bike paths—everyone is hanging
ornaments on the tree.”
DeWitte highlighted the Elgin-to-Rockford rail extension as a
cautionary tale. Despite state subsidies, some cities along the
route opted out, reducing ridership and revenue.
“Now you have the largest city in McHenry County choosing not to
participate in the Elgin-Rockford extension,” said DeWitte. “That
removes a significant number of potential daily riders, which will
impact the revenue stream and ultimately increase how much the state
will need to subsidize the service. I can easily envision a similar
scenario occurring on other proposed routes, whether it’s Chicago to
Moline, Chicago to Peoria, or Peoria to the Quad Cities.”
According to DeWitte, many Illinois transit projects move forward
without full studies on costs, potential riders, or city and county
contributions.
“It’s a very expensive preliminary study process,” DeWitte said.
Beyond cost concerns, DeWitte emphasized the importance of fair
representation for the suburban counties, known as the “collar
counties,” which rely on transit services like the CTA and METRA.
“Now that this legislation has passed, I hope the process comes
together so that both the city and the collar counties have
equitable representation in how this significant new revenue stream
is allocated and spent,” said DeWitte.
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