by Sara Peters

The late-night toots and whistles and the sounds of construction on the train tracks running through Dwight have barely faded from memory as discussions of the next phase of high speed rail have begun.

Recent meetings were held in five cities throughout the state to talk about the environmental impact and routing logistics of adding a second set of tracks to the Chicago to St. Louis corridor.

But before that plan - which is currently not funded - will come to fruition, many details remain in the air about the current phase, possibly including whether Dwight will even be a stop for high speed trains.

Recent upgrades to the tracks were part of a $1.1 billion grant from the federal government that will allow trains to travel 110 mph on the 284-mile Chicago to St. Louis route.

This summer, workers replaced track and upgraded crossings from Dwight to the south.

Improvements are expected to shorten travel time between the two cities and enhance travel experience, according to the Illinois Department of Transpor-tation.

Today, trains make five round trips between the two cities daily. Once high speed rail is up and running, expected in 2014, three of those trips will be by high speed trains and two will run at the current speed of 79 mph, said IDOT Spokesperson Guy Tridgell.

However, in an initial conversation with The Paper, Tridgell said there’s a chance that Dwight might not be one of the stops by high speed trains. Those locations have yet to be determined, he said then.  

“Naturally, Joliet, Chicago, Bloomington Normal, East St. Louis will be the likely locations for the high speed rail stops,” Tridgell said. “In order to achieve the true accelerated service, we need to limit the number of stops.”

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In a follow-up conversation, when asked for clarification about Dwight being a stop by high speed trains, he said:

“It’s easy to get caught up in the whole promise of high speed rail,” he said. “It’s some high speed service, in addition to the upgrade of nicer rail and the benefit of a smoother ride.”

The plan includes new rail cars equipped with Wifi, he said.

“There might not be the benefit of high speed service, but there’s the benefit of more reliable service, more comfortable service, in addition to the service that is provided now.”

Later, in a third conversation, he cited a miscommunication with those overseeing the project and said:

“Dwight is a stop on the high speed rail route,” he said.

Village Administrator Kevin McNamara said no one has indicated to him that Dwight would not be a stop.

Regardless, Dwight was among four communities picked for station improvements or new stations including Carlinville, Lincoln and Pontiac.

In August, the village board approved an agreement that would construct a new train station at Columbia and James streets on the village-owned site formerly occupied by the grain elevator.

Plans are underway for a station that would be unstaffed and include one unisex bathroom and that will act largely as a shelter for those waiting to catch a train, McNamara said.

There’s no timeline on when plans will be ready or construction would begin on that station, Tridgell said.

In the next year, one change is for certain: Dwight residents can expect to see changes to the crossing guards.

However, several other proposals by IDOT officials are still in the air.

IDOT has offered the village of Dwight a one-time $100,000 incentive to close the pedestrian crossing that leads from the current depot across east Main St. near JT’s Saloon, McNamara said.

IDOT officials also requested that the village consider reconfiguring crossings at Mazon Avenue and Prairie Street so that north and south traffic won’t be able to cross, he said.

Village officials agreed to closing the pedestrian crossing and have not further considered changes to the traffic crossings.

“It would change the alignment so there’s not two roads crossing at once,” McNamara said. “The village board had said that’s not their preference, and IDOT is not forcing any closures.”

These changes, if approved, would likely take place before the 2014 grand opening of high speed rail.

Currently, about 99 percent of the 35 million annual trips made between the two cities takes place by car or plane, according to the IDOT high speed rail website. The project has included laying 250,000 new concrete ties and improving more than 90 crossings from Dwight south.

The purpose of the project is to create a “more balanced modal use of the transportation network by improving rail service,” the IDOT site reads.

The next phase of that track improvement is from Dwight to Joliet, which is currently being bid out.

Some high speed travel will take place in 2012 between Dwight and Pontiac, Tridgell said.