by lpetrich
Reading some passenger-rail blogs, I came across the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission > Home It was founded in the mid-1990's to help promote passenger-rail and high-speed-rail development in the northern Midwest, but it has had limited success until very recently.
Its members are now Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin, with the remaining eligible nonmember being South Dakota. All the members have Amtrak routes running to them, with the eligible nonmember having none unless the North Coast Hiawatha can be restarted.
It includes the proposed Chicago Hub HSR network, and it could be called Greater Chicagoland.
Most of the states would make good HSR candidates, or at least moderately-good ones. However, the westernmost states are rather doubtful. Nebraska and Kansas are the best chances, having neighboring-state proposed lines that extend to their borders. However, the Dakotas are much more doubtful, with their small populations and with no proposed lines extending to their borders. The largest cities of the Dakotas could easily fit into the suburbs of some of the other states' larger cities.
Illinois - 12.9m - Chicago - 9.8 m - Corridor, possible HSR
Ohio - 11.5m - Cleveland - 2.3m - LD, possible corridor, HSR
Michigan - 10.0m - Detroit - 4.4m - Corridor, possible HSR
Indiana - 6.4m - Indianapolis - 1.7m - LD, sort-of corridor, possible HSR
Missouri - 6.0m - St. Louis - 2.8m - Corridor, possible HSR
Wisconsin - 5.4m - Milwaukee - 1.7m - Corridor, possible HSR
Minnesota - 5.3m - Twin Cities - 3.5m - LD, possible HSR
Iowa - 3.0m - Des Moines - 0.56m - LD, possible corridor, HSR
Kansas - 2.8m - Wichita - 0.37m - LD
Nebraska - 1.8m - Omaha - 0.85m - LD
South Dakota - 0.81m - Sioux Falls - 0.23m - none, possible LD
North Dakota - 0.65m - Fargo - 0.20m - LD
Its members are now Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin, with the remaining eligible nonmember being South Dakota. All the members have Amtrak routes running to them, with the eligible nonmember having none unless the North Coast Hiawatha can be restarted.
It includes the proposed Chicago Hub HSR network, and it could be called Greater Chicagoland.
Most of the states would make good HSR candidates, or at least moderately-good ones. However, the westernmost states are rather doubtful. Nebraska and Kansas are the best chances, having neighboring-state proposed lines that extend to their borders. However, the Dakotas are much more doubtful, with their small populations and with no proposed lines extending to their borders. The largest cities of the Dakotas could easily fit into the suburbs of some of the other states' larger cities.
Illinois - 12.9m - Chicago - 9.8 m - Corridor, possible HSR
Ohio - 11.5m - Cleveland - 2.3m - LD, possible corridor, HSR
Michigan - 10.0m - Detroit - 4.4m - Corridor, possible HSR
Indiana - 6.4m - Indianapolis - 1.7m - LD, sort-of corridor, possible HSR
Missouri - 6.0m - St. Louis - 2.8m - Corridor, possible HSR
Wisconsin - 5.4m - Milwaukee - 1.7m - Corridor, possible HSR
Minnesota - 5.3m - Twin Cities - 3.5m - LD, possible HSR
Iowa - 3.0m - Des Moines - 0.56m - LD, possible corridor, HSR
Kansas - 2.8m - Wichita - 0.37m - LD
Nebraska - 1.8m - Omaha - 0.85m - LD
South Dakota - 0.81m - Sioux Falls - 0.23m - none, possible LD
North Dakota - 0.65m - Fargo - 0.20m - LD