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Ill. Amtrak train set to hit 110 mph in test run

October 19, 2012 | Modified: October 19, 2012 at 9:01 am
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Photo - FILE - In this March 22, 2011 file photo, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin are joined by state and local officials as they announce the next phase of high-speed rail construction during a news conference at an Amtrak maintenance building in Chicago. On Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, Quinn, Durbin and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will take part in a test run of the high speed Amtrak line between Joliet and Normal, Ill., at 110 mph. The 30-mph increase from the route’s current top speed is a morale booster for advocates of high-speed rail who have watched conservatives in Congress put the brakes on spending for fast train projects. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
FILE - In this March 22, 2011 file photo, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin are joined by state and local officials as they announce the next phase of high-speed rail construction during a news conference at an Amtrak maintenance building in Chicago. On Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, Quinn, Durbin and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will take part in a test run of the high speed Amtrak line between Joliet and Normal, Ill., at 110 mph. The 30-mph increase from the route’s current top speed is a morale booster for advocates of high-speed rail who have watched conservatives in Congress put the brakes on spending for fast train projects. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois is about to hit a modest milestone in President Barack Obama's high-speed rail vision.

Test runs are scheduled to start zooming along a small section of the Amtrak line between Chicago and St. Louis at 110 mph on Friday.

The 30-mph increase from the route's current top speed is a morale booster for advocates of high-speed rail who have watched conservatives in Congress put the brakes on spending for fast train projects.

But some rail experts question whether the route can become profitable, or whether it will pose serious competition to air and automobile travel.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Gov. Pat Quinn are scheduled to be on board when the train hits 110 mph. The 15-mile test section is between Dwight and Pontiac.

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