INTRODUCTION

Section

1

1. Introduction
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 1-1 Tier 1 Final EIS 

1.0 Introduction 

This Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) addresses the proposal by the

Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to improve high speed passenger rail

service between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri (a distance of approximately

284 miles), including the rail lines through Springfield, Illinois.  This Tier 1 Final EIS for

the Chicago to St. Louis High‐Speed Rail (HSR) Corridor Program has been prepared by

IDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in cooperation with the Federal

Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to satisfy the

requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321

et seq.), and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR

1500‐1508).   

In general, the proposed project improvements would include the development of

double tracking along the existing Amtrak railroad corridor to improve high‐speed

passenger service reliability and safety, and to increase the number trips between

Chicago and St. Louis.  In addition, multiple alternative alignments along existing

railroad corridors were considered and evaluated between Chicago and Joliet, through

Springfield, and between Alton and St. Louis.  A timeline for future environmental

studies, final design, and construction is not known at this time and would be

contingent on funding availability.  The project would also include improvements to

railroad crossings, signals, and stations.  It is important to note that these proposed

improvements are in addition to those improvements associated with the 2004 Record of

Decision for the Chicago‐St. Louis High‐Speed Rail Project and the 2011 Environmental

Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) for the UPRR’s Track

Improvement Project from Joliet to Dwight, Illinois.     

1.1 Tiering Process 

For this project, IDOT and FRA are using a tiered environmental process, a phased

environmental review used in the development of complex projects.  Under this process,

the Tier 1 EIS (Volume I of this document) addresses broad, corridor‐level issues and

alternatives.  Tier 2 environmental documents (Volume II of this document is one such

Tier 2 document) address individual component projects of the Selected Alternative

carried forward from the Tier 1 study in more detail.  

Concurrently with this Tier 1 study of the full Chicago to St. Louis corridor, IDOT and

FRA are conducting a Tier 2 analysis for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project.  The

Springfield Rail Improvements Project Tier 2  Environmental Evaluation, found in

Volume II of this document, considers the Springfield portion of the corridor in more

detail, evaluating alternative alignments through the City of Springfield.  The

Springfield Rail Improvements Project Tier 2 Environmental Evaluation is the only Tier

2 study being advanced at this time.
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 1-2 Tier 1 Final EIS 

1.2 Anticipated Decisions 

The anticipated decisions to be made as part of this process are:

1. Identification of a Preferred Alternative in the Tier 1 Final EIS for the Chicago to

St. Louis High‐Speed Rail Program.

2. As part of the Chicago to St. Louis High‐Speed Rail Program Tier 1

Environmental Impact Statement, Sections of Independent Utility (SIUs) will be

identified for Tier 2 studies.  For example, this may include:

a. Identification of priority construction sections such as Chicago to Joliet, a

proposed rail flyover in Springfield, and additional capacity over the

Mississippi River.

b. Improvements for each station could also be advanced as individual Tier

2 studies.  A station Tier 2 study could encompass facility improvements

such as building expansion, parking, and vehicular circulation, as well as

associated double track construction to allow for simultaneous boarding

of northbound and southbound trains and passenger grade separations.

c. Double track sections between stations could be another set of SIUs

identified for Tier 2 studies.

3. Selection of an alternative with a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Chicago to St.

Louis High‐Speed Rail Program.

4. Identification of a Preferred Alternative by FRA in the Tier 2 Environmental

Evaluation for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, which is currently

being advanced.

5. Selection of an alternative with a ROD for the Springfield Rail Improvements

Project.

Additional information is provided in Chapter 7.