Last Chance for Public Input on Iowa City-Chicago Rail

The second round of public comment on a proposed passenger rail from Omaha to Chicago ends next week.

The rail -- which would likely include a station in Iowa City -- has been talked about for years, but has hit funding hitches. The federal government has made more than $200 million available for the project, but Iowa Republicans, including Gov. Terry Branstad, are hesitant to commit Iowa's share of the cost.

Most recently, the Iowa legislative session ended . A Democratic lawmaker said the project is "hanging by a thread."

Iowa Department of Transportation officials are taking online public comment about the project until next Monday. They say they hope the input from the public will help them evaluate.

Officials will review all the comments and release another report on the project, which will also be open to public comment this fall.