Who is BARC? The Blackhawk Area Rail Coalition (BARC), is a grassroots group, established in May of 2006, by local citizens who support passenger rail service. Our Co-Chairs are Liz Carter (Galena, IL), and Janet Fisher (Hanover, IL).  Our Secretary is Constance Chambers (Galena, IL).  The group has been working closely with Senator Dick Durbin and others since it's inception, toward reinstating passenger rail service from Chicago through Rockford, Freeport, Galena, Illinois, into Dubuque, Iowa.  Janet Fisher had previously chaired the Galena Railroad Development Coalition, organized in 1992.  BARC replaced the Galena Railroad Coalition in 2006. BARC's membership is consists of area residents, local, regional, and national business owners, current and former elected officials, along with tourist including those from national as well as international locations. BARC currently boasts a membership total of over 40,000 individuals! BARC's membership continues to grow, and currently stands at approximately 40,000 members.   The outpouring of support from our members has been outstanding.  We have to thank everyone for joining and for your continued support and hard work! BARC wishes to express our great thanks to Pat Stortenbecker for signing up the lions share of our members!  Pat consistently has gone above and beyond the call, and we are certainly in her debt. Localities must Focus on Continued Planning! The communities should continue to focus on planning and budgeting for the needed infrastructure and station improvements.  Time is of the essence for this planning and getting things in line so they are ready once the train service commences.  This is a very important part of the project.  It has been made clear that these costs should be covered by the localities.  It has been noted there likely are grant monies available to assist with these costs. BARC previously introduced Frank Hall, formerly of Amtrak, to the community leaders.  Frank is an independent station planning consultant and is working as an adjunct to Amtrak to help expedite the process.   He's been helping to outline the proper planning, and associated budgets. The communities along the route must also create plans to implement convenient local transportation for the passengers once they arrive in the area.  It must be made simple for passengers to get to and from where ever they wish to go.  All the pieces of the puzzle must work together seamlessly for this project to be the success we know it can be. Things are looking great, and we continue to speak with one voice. We extend our thanks to everyone's hard work, dedication, and cohesiveness. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but things are definitely moving forward! Janet Fisher and Liz Carter Co-Chairs The Blackhawk Area Rail Coalition, (BARC)