Into the rail station at Peoria, Ill. last week slithered the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad's answer to the annual $700 million deficit of U.S. passenger trains: the Jet Rocket, a light, low train modeled after the Spanish Talgo. Built by ACF Industries, Inc., it is the first of the new lightweight trains to be owned by a U.S. railroad. It begins regular Chicago-Peoria passenger runs this week.
The Jet Rocket has enough economic advantages over standard trains to make Rock Island hopeful of turning a profit on passenger operations. The four-car train, with a General Motors diesel...
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