Higher cost estimate for QC passenger rail project causes snag

Quad Cities officials say they’ve been told the cost of upgrading tracks to accommodate a long-awaited passenger rail connection between Moline and Chicago is now between $750 million and $800 million – significantly higher than a previous estimate.

The figure, they say, is an estimate provided by Iowa Interstate Railroad to the Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT) and was discussed during a recent meeting between local…