WEST LIBERTY, Iowa – West Liberty resident Priscilla Haessig said  seeing  area residents boarding a passenger train at her town’s historic train depot would be a dream come true.

Sunday afternoon, Haessig, president of West Liberty’s chamber of commerce, glimpsed that dream when a train carrying Iowa Gov. Chet Culver pulled up to the landmark depot.

A brilliant blue sky and hundreds of smiling faces greeted Culver, who was traveling the region on the Iowa Unlimited rail train tour promoting the possibility of bringing Amtrak passenger rail service to Iowa and Illinois.

“I think it would be great to have rail service back,” said Haessig. “We’ve been talking about it in West Liberty for some time. It’s always been a dream here.”

West Liberty Mayor Chad Thomas said this visit was more joyous than the one the governor made to the region last summer in the aftermath of significant flooding.

“It’s nice to see you under happier circumstances on a nice, idyllic, summer day,” said Thomas.

Culver, who was traveling with his young son and daughter, John and Claire, told the crowd that restoring passenger rail service is one of his administration’s top transportation priorities. 

Reconnecting cities to Chicago by rail will add to Iowa’s economic success, said Culver, and the rail service is a low-cost alternative to driving a car.

“We’ve gotten away from regional routes, but President Obama and vice president Joe Biden are interested in them,” said Culver.

 Culver asked the crowd for support in promoting  the passenger rail service. “We’re asking for your cooperation in the process of this and once

we get passenger rail service, we are asking you to ride it,” said Culver.

Culver said he was planning to travel by rail to Chicago to attend today’s Midwest High Speed Rail Summit.

The meeting centers on efforts to make Chicago a regional destination. The Obama administration will also be at the meeting to discuss ways to utilize Federal Recovery funds to expand passenger rail service throughout the Midwest.

Rep. David Loebsack, who joined Culver for the West Liberty visit, said he and other congressmen in Iowa and Illinois hope to pull down $22 million in federal funding for passenger rail service in Illinois and $32 million in Iowa.

“When we bring passenger rail service to this part of the United States, this is going to help us recover from the economic downturn,” said Loebsack.

As part of the summit,  Culver is also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on passenger rail lines between Chicago and Dubuque and  Chicago and Iowa City. 

Current proposals call for the expansion of the Chicago-to-Iowa City route to Des Moines and points further west.

Culver said his Iowa Jobs Initiative program, which includes $10 million for multi-modal transportation projects in Iowa, will provide $3 million for expanded passenger rail service in the state. 

After his address, Culver spent nearly half-an-hour speaking with individuals and posing for photos.

When he boarded the train, some West Liberty residents joined him for the regional tour.

Letha Ottaway, director of the West Liberty Chamber of Commerce, said her office received approximately 37 train tickets from Culver’s office to give to area residents.

Culver also stopped in Iowa City, Durant and Walcott Sunday before crossing the Mississippi and holding an event in Moline at the future site of the Quad Cities’ passenger rail depot.

Culver’s Iowa Unlimited is being provided through the efforts of the Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd.