CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Residents of Central Illinois have been advocating for high-speed rail stops ever since a bill was enacted to set up a committee for its investigation.

Champaign officials are now urging locals to participate in an online survey to support the establishment of a rail stop in the city once the trains are operational. The concept of high-speed rail has been a topic of discussion nationwide for many years, and Central Illinois cities are eager to be included.

According to Champaign’s mayor, the plan to link Chicago and St. Louis is gaining momentum, and they are keen to be part of the proposed route, which could run parallel to existing tracks near Interstate 57.

“They could put high-speed rail and, basically, along the same line from Chicago to Champaign that we’ve got our existing freight and passenger rail,” said Champaign Mayor Deborah Feinen.

Feinen wants people to take an online survey, which could show why the line should cut through Champaign. She said it could bring commuters from Chicago in under an hour, which will boost prospects for employees and jobseekers.

It would also improve the trip University of Illinois students, like Sydni Brantley, often take.

“We wish that the campus was a little closer to Chicago,” Brantley said. “Because two hours is almost too out of the way to go for any reason.”

Feinen said there seems to be two ideas of where the line should go: either through Rockford and Peoria, or from Champaign to Springfield. She said the latter would make more sense for not just Central Illinois, but the state as a whole.

“The amount of income that’s generated through University of Illinois grads and the tentacles of the University of Illinois, that it only makes sense that they come through this community,” Feinen said.

The survey asks what people’s experience is with high-speed rails, but more importantly, Feinen said it asks for the zip code where the respondent lives.

“The decision on where this line goes is really important because it’s not going to be changed for, you know, 50 years,” she said.

Sajiv Shah, who regularly goes through Chicago to visit his sister at the U of I, said a faster way of traveling can’t come soon enough after taking a bus ride for hours to get into the city.

“We spent 35 minutes, like, filling up gas,” Shah said. “This is a pretty well trafficked route. There’s a lot of reasons you might come from Chicago. Anyone from the suburbs might go to Chicago to come here, so why not have a high-speed rail?”

High-speed rails are still just an exploratory idea in the state of Illinois. Feinen said the hefty price tag would require help from the federal government and private investment.

For a link to the survey, click here.