Ideas for Transit: Intercity
Transit has many important roles to play, it isn't just about getting to work every day. One of the most neglected roles is connecting cities together. Intercity lines can, over time, become commuter lines simply due to growth along their corridor. Some commuter lines can also become intercity lines if there is job growth in a formerly suburban community. Mass transit rail lines, buses, and commuter rail can all connect cities in their own ways. Mass transit lines can bring people to intercity rail hubs or can reach from one city to another if the two overlap (this is called a conurbation).
Intercity travelers might also use local transit if it’s well connected. A business traveler, for example, might take a subway to reach an intercity train station, ride the train to a nearby city where they are doing business, and then use mass transit to arrive within walking distance of their destination. Strong intracity transit can also lay the foundations for intercity transit; oftentimes the two overlap. Transit lines often run next to heavy rail lines, and commuter rail can often share tracks with intercity trains.
There are four areas that need attention:
- Extending commuter rail from Chicago to close by cities like Milwaukee, Rockford and Kankakee.
- Expanded coverage and increasing frequencies of intercity bus routes
- Upgrading conventional intercity passenger trains with more frequent service and faster speeds.
- Linking key cities with high-speed rail.
