Midwest governors sign high-speed rail deal

The one-day gathering, billed as a Midwest High Speed Rail Summit, otherwise offered few new details, including how much it could cost to build the system that would connect 12 metropolitan areas with Chicago as its hub.

Governors from eight states —Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio — had already pledged to work together to build the network, saying it would help reduce road congestion and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

A memorandum signed Monday in Chicago by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and four other governors sets up the Midwest Rail Steering Group, which will coordinate applications and lobbying for federal stimulus money.

In addition to Quinn, Govs. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, Chet Culver of Iowa, Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and Ted Strickland of Ohio also attended, as did Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

The governors of Minnesota, Missouri and Indiana signed the memorandum earlier and did not attend the gathering.

The document does not include a price tag for the Midwest network, though some estimates say it will cost at least $10 billion.