Rockford’s Veteran’s Memorial Hall was host to an Illinois Department of Transportation open house last week highlighting plans to restore passenger rail service to Rockford. (Photo via State Sen. Steve Stadelman Facebook page)

The return of passenger rail service to Rockford may still be four years away but behind-the-scenes work is well underway.

The latest developments came last week as the Illinois Department of Transportation held four informational public meetings in planned station communities to introduce proposed Metra rail service and seek feedback.

The finale — a Sept. 28 session at the Centre of Elgin — followed earlier open houses in Rockford, Belvidere and Huntley.

In July, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that Metra — the Chicago area commuter rail system — would offer daily round-trip service to Chicago using Union Pacific track beyond the current terminus in Elgin.

There would be stops in Belvidere, Huntley and Elgin and the trip to downtown Chicago would take approximately 90 minutes with trains traveling up to 79 miles per hour. Two daily round trips are planned.

A stop in Marengo is also reportedly under consideration.

The initial price tag is $275 million, funded through Pritzker’s $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital improvement plan.

Extensive track and bridge work would be required for the service, which would run on existing freight lines beyond Elgin. New stations would also have to be constructed.

Rockford last had passenger rail service in 1981 when Amtrak’s Black Hawk service to Dubuque, Iowa was suspended. In 2007, Amtrak conducted a feasibility study to reinstate service and between 2010-14, IDOT studied options and routes for adding rail service.

In 2014, former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced a $223 million capital investment plan to restore Amtrak service between Chicago and Rockford, with service eventually extending to Iowa.

But Quinn lost his bid for election that year and in 2015, new Gov. Bruce Rauner put the program on hold.

In 2019, Pritzker announced his $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan, including funding for the Chicago to Rockford corridor.  In July, with a blue Metra engine and passenger cars parked on a Rock River bridge as a backdrop, he gathered with local officials to announce the service.

Amtrak has historically provided intercity service in Illinois outside Chicago and operates several downstate routes plus runs to Milwaukee. But state officials instead reached out to Metra to be the service provider to Rockford.

Metra is the commuter rail division of the Regional Transportation Authority, created to oversee public transportation in the six-county Chicago area and partly funded through gasoline taxes in the region.

A 1984 reorganization made Metra a separate entity under the RTA umbrella and today Metra owns some train lines and operates others under purchase of service agreements.

Metra service is offered mostly within the six-county region (Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, Will and Cook). One northern commuter rail line serves southern Wisconsin while the South Shore offers service from Chicago to northern Indiana and receives some funding from that state.

In addition to Rockford service, there’s a proposal to extend Metra service from Aurora through Kendall County, which is not currently an RTA member. DeKalb, home of Northern Illinois University and a growing roster of technology firms, businesses and distribution centers, also eyes restoration of passenger rail service that was abandoned in 1971.

Frequent DeKalb Transit bus service now provides rides to and from Elburn, the western terminus of Union Pacific West Line commuter rail.