High-speed rail in Illinois? dumb, dumb, dumb

Is 90 minutes worth $1,200,000,000 in Fed money and $42,000,000 in Illinois money? That's how much time might be saved on a train trip from Chicago to St. Louis (high-speed rail vs. current train service).

First of all, who takes the train from Chicago to St. Louis these days? St. Louis is not a work hub for Chicago. Nor is Chicago a work hub for St. Louis.

If I'm going to take a train to St. Louis, first I must get myself to Chicago; that's a 1 1/2 hours trip. Maybe I need to arrive an hour ahead of time, and then argue with a TSA employee about whether I'm going through a full-body scanner. That bring travel time up to 2 1/2 hours. Then four hours to St. Louis. That's 6 1/2 hours. Then I have to get myself from the St. Louis train station to my ultimate destination.

I'm driving, thankyouverymuch. Same time. More convenient. Lower in cost.

I liked Sen. Durbin's statement - not! Said he, "The governors of these other states that have given up their money (Fed money for high-speed rail) can stand by and wave at our trains when they go by." Florida rejected $2.4 billion. Does Sen. Durbin really think that Florida Gov. Rick Scott cares even a little about a rail project between Chicago and St. Louis? Gov. Scott won't even hear the train whistle 1,300 miles away!

Come on, Dick. You can do better than that. I hope.