By Ethan Rosuck, WIFR CBS 23 News; November 2, 2018
ROCKFORD, Ill (WIFR) — The topic of bringing back passenger rail service to The Stateline has been a popular discussion over the past several years. Just in time for Election Day, some voters will take part in a referendum question to have input on this topic.
The Amtrak Black Hawk route, which used to run east-to-west from Dubuque, Iowa to Chicago, Illinois had many stops in The Stateline including Rockford, Freeport, and Belvidere. Service on that line stopped on Sept. 30, 1981. Since then if a driver gets stopped at a railroad crossing, it would be only by a freight train.