SPRINGFIELD | Supporters of a faster rail network say building the new route would create thousands of jobs.

The Midwest High Speed Rail Association issued a report Thursday saying a proposed 220 mph train route that eventually links Chicago with St. Louis via Kankakee, Champaign, Decatur and Springfield would provide a boost to the economy and help the environment.

The study estimates the Chicago-St. Louis via Champaign line would create 26,000 jobs during the seven years of construction, plus another 16,000 new jobs once the service is in operation.

For now, there is no plan on the books for routing Amtrak trains en route to St. Louis through Champaign and Decatur. The estimated cost of the project is $12 billion.

The state recently requested $10 million in federal funds to launch a study of the concept.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has said it may be too expensive to focus high-speed rail efforts on the Champaign-Decatur route. Instead, the state is awaiting separate federal grant money to improve travel times on the route running through Bloomington-Normal.

Some Republican candidates for governor also are skeptical of the concept. At a debate last month, Republican Dan Proft, of Wheaton, called high-speed rail a "boondoggle."

Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, said Illinois could take a bold step if it embraces the concept.

"With our budget crisis and the loss of the Olympics, high-speed rail is the project to secure our state's economic future," Harnish said. "It's time for America and Illinois to think big again. Illinois has the potential to become first in the nation with a bullet train high-speed rail link thanks to Gov. Quinn’s leadership."

The line examined in the study would serve downtown Chicago, O’Hare International Airport, Kankakee, Champaign, Decatur, Springfield, Edwardsville and St. Louis.

In an address Wednesday, Quinn said he envisions a high-speed rail link connected to the proposed third Chicago area airport in Peotone -- another transportation project that’s been talked about for decades.

"Fast trains are a wave of the future," Quinn said. "Our president is committed to this. We invested $400 million. We look forward to getting discussion form Washington on high-speed rail network where our state is the center of the whole network of the Midwest."

Quinn is focusing on extending Amtrak service to the Quad Cities and Rockford. The state is awaiting word on a federal grant that would help pay for such an expansion.