The Q in downtown Moline, which currently houses an Element Hotel by Westin, and is planned to additionally house the Amtrak station and a multi-modal transit hub[1]
Moline station is a proposed train station in Moline, Illinois, intended to serve as the terminus of the Quad Cities Amtrak line. Construction has begun and the station was initially expected to open by 2019, though it remains incomplete as of 2024.[2][3]
Until 1979, the Rock Island Railroad'sQuad Cities Rocket served the Quad Cities. However, due to poor on-time performance and deteriorating track conditions, ridership declined substantially. The state of Illinois subsequently pulled the subsidy keeping the train running, leaving the Quad Cities without passenger rail service.[4]
In 2008, efforts to restore passenger rail service to the Quad Cities were set in motion. In 2010, the City of Moline got a federal TIGER grant for construction of the station.[5] However, in early 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner put all major spending projects under review, including the Chicago-Quad Cities Amtrak line.[6] Despite this, construction on the station started in 2015.[7][8] By June 2016, under threat of losing the federal funding for the Quad Cities line, the state released the matching funds needed to move the project forward.[9] On February 24, 2017, it was announced that the station would be complete in August, with passenger rail service expected to commence soon thereafter.[10] As of November 26, 2018[update], no service had yet been scheduled.[11]
In July 2019, a transportation bill passed by the Illinois state legislature and signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker appropriated $225M to the project.[12] In its 2020–2025 service plan, Amtrak forecasted that the Chicago–Moline route would begin in fiscal year 2024 and attract 165,600 riders that year.[13] However, as of 2024, the Quad Cities line is still inactive due to disputes between the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Iowa Interstate Railroad.[14]
Quad Cities MetroLINK
Amtrak Thruway
