Crews break ground on high speed rail connecting Chicago and St. Louis

DWIGHT, Ill. (WLS) -- Plans are on track to use high-speed rail to connect Chicago and St. Louis.

Crews broke ground on the first planned station today in Dwight, which is about 70 miles southwest of Chicago.

The new trains will be able to top 100 miles per hour, which will shorten the trip between the two cities to about four hours.

"My friends, I believe in Amtrak, so does Illinois and so does America," said Sen. Dick Durbin at the groundbreaking. "We're going to invest in it, we're going to use it and be proud of it. This is just the beginning, it's not the end. The battle is on in Springfield to save Amtrak, the battle is on in Washington to save Amtrak and it's up to you."

There are plans to build at least six other stops.