Peoria Station

This was expected.  Peoria Int'l Airport broke its 2015 record in 2018. Friday's press release  tells us, A record 672,594 passengers traveled through PIA in 2018, up 6 percent from 2017 and up nearly 5 percent from the previous record of 641,671 set in 2015. The facility posted monthly records in March, May, June, July, August, October and November. The release notes that June was the biggest month in PIA history. It also reminds us that American Eagle is switching to larger jets to the Charlotte hub on February 14. Left unmentioned is the addition on April 1 of a fifth Chicago-O'Hare roundtrip by United Express, but it is likely that airport officials are being cautious.  - David P. Jordan

According to this message by Chillicothe, Illinois mayor Don White , posted Friday, January 18, public rail excursions between Chillicothe and Henry return May 18.  The Iowa Interstate Railroad operated four roundtrip excursions for the public between the two points in both 2014 and 2016. Proceeds go to volunteer firefighters.  I rode the train and shot video trackside both times. See videos below.  Saturday, September 13, 2014. Saturday, September 10, 2016 Some patrons complained of the glazed windows on the ex-Montreal (Quebec) commuter coaches used for these excursions. Fortunately, former Pennsylvania Railroad P70 coaches, with clear windows, were acquired recently. I recorded them being used firefighter fundrasing trips in 2017 and 2018. See below. West Liberty/Durant, Iowa, September 30, 2017 Mitchellville/Altoona, Iowa, Saturday, August 18, 2018 (behind steam!) Grinnell, Iowa and then trips out of Brooklyn, Sunday, August 19, ...

Liberty Steel USA plans to increase production at its Bartonville plant. The former Keystone Steel & Wire Co, whose parent Liberty Steel acquired recently for $320 million, has operated a steel mill here since 1917, with some of the adjacent wire-making facilities dating back to 1901. Keystone has made significant investments in recent decades, including a new rod mill in 1988 and existing electric arc furnace (EAF) in 2000.  In this article posted Tuesday evening by WEEK TV-25, executive chairman, Sanjeev Gupta, revealed during a visit Monday that the plant presently produces 600,000 tons a year, but that round-the-clock operations would allow it to produce up to 1.1 million tons. Gupta's company wants to increase steel production to five million tons by the end of 2020.  Production expansion appears definite, and would require 100 new workers. The Bartonville steel mill and related facilities employed as many as 1,300 in 2002 but that number has probably sl...

Rising air fares and reduced jet service plagued PIA in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite some moderate success in its efforts to convince carriers to cut fares and increase service, nothing could prevent the blow Peoria received in mid-January 1991. Let's review events by airline. My primary source is the North American Edition of OAG's July 15, 1991 Desktop Flight Guide .  AMERICAN AIRLINES/AMERICAN EAGLE (Simmons Airlines/Flagship Airlines) Although it added (resumed, technically, after 29 years) Peoria to its network late in 1991, news preceding American Airlines' re-introduction of Chicago jet service rated much media coverage throughout the year. A March 15 Peoria Journal Star story indicated that service could begin in August. Progress came on May 8 when the Federal Aviation Administration proposed modification of the High Density Rule to allow for jet aircraft of up to 110 sets to use slots designated for commuter flights. The rule change would be in ...

The Tazewell & Peoria Railroad's Illinois River Bridge was involved in an incident Monday evening. The Peoria Journal Star posted an article Tuesday. You can read that  here .  The structure itself opened in 1911 (replacing a bridge built in 1872), but the bascule leaf needed replacement for improved safety of commercial navigation. The present lift bridge was installed in 1984.  It is believed that the bridgetender lowered the structure too soon, and ripped off the towboat's pilot.  The writer failed to interpret the railroad spokesman's remarks regarding the bridge's ownership, so I'll do it for him. About 8:20 p.m., the towboat approached what is commonly known as the PPU (Peoria and Pekin Union Railway) Bridge. Near the foot of the bridge, a bridge-tending building carries a logo for the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad, owned by Connecticut-based railroad-holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Michael Williams, spokesperson for Genesee ...

I wish I could report that United Express is going to resume Peoria-Denver nonstops, but I can't. But perhaps this news is the next best thing. Thanks to a regular commenter, I can announced that on March 31-April 1, 2019 Air Wisconsin dba United Express is expanding daily service between Peoria and Chicago-O'Hare from four to five roundtrips. Saturday service increases from three to four.  In April, flights will be operated by a mix of 50-seat regional jets for the time being (Bombardair CRJ200s and Embraer 145s). Beginning April 29, all flights will be operated by CRJ200s. The expanded service lasts at least through the summer (I checked as late as Tuesday, October 1 and there still five roundtrips). Hopefully, this is a sign that other carriers are picking up passenger traffic after the loss of Delta Connection flights to Detroit, which ended November 26.  - David P. Jordan