Tagged: Gov. Pat Quinn

One area of state government that's not facing cuts under Illinois's worst-ever budget is its support for passenger rail service.

Gov. Pat Quinn is seeking to increase spending on Amtrak service in the state by $12 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The Bloomington Pantagraph reports  that the 46 percent increase would bring total spending to $38 million for routes from Chicago to St. Louis, Carbondale and Galesburg.

A 2008 federal law requires states to start picking up a larger part of the tab for rail service on routes shorter than 750 miles.