Illinois investment in Amtrak Paying off

This article about Amtrak appeared recently in the Quincy Herald Wig. Notice ridership on the Chicago to St. Louis route is up more than 100 percent.

By Doug Wilson

Herald-Whig Senior Writer

Amtrak passengers can testify to the popularity of new passenger routes that were added between downstate cities and Chicago late last year. They also know there are still a few wrinkles to be ironed out.

Amtrak passengers were about 45 minutes late getting into Quincy Wednesday night after pulling onto a siding to let a northbound Amtrak train pass by.

"It's much better now than it was" for on-time performance, said Jeff Mays of Quincy.

Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak, said on-time performance is not perfect but is improving. He did not have route-by-route comparisons today but said delays have declined in recent months.

Illinois legislators put $24 million in the fiscal 2007 budget to subsidize a second daily train for Quincy, one for the Chicago-Carbondale route and two for the Chicago-to-St. Louis route. The state had paid a $12 million annual subsidy since the mid-1990s to support the existing trains.

Passenger numbers from Amtrak show that 95,426 ticketholders took the trains along the Quincy-Chicago routes between November and the end of May. That's up more than 29,500 passengers, or about 45 percent, from the previous year when only one train was operating.

Carbondale route passenger numbers are up 72 percent and St. Louis route numbers are up 107 percent.

"It seems right now like it's a good investment" of state funds said Rep. Jil Tracy, R-Mount Sterling.

Magliari said the worst delays have been on the route between Chicago and St. Louis, where four different railroads own parts of the track.

Freight railroads are paid for the use of their track and some are better than others at accommodating the passenger trains. Magliari said Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which owns much of the track between Quincy and Chicago, is one of the better freight operations at cooperating with passenger railroads.

"BNSF earns more incentive payments" for helping Amtrak arrive on time, than do other freight railroads, Magliari said.

From Amtrak's point of view, the big question this year is whether the Illinois budget will include a capital bill that might allow for some railroad improvements.

"We have needs on all three corridors," Magliari said.

Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, knows that Amtrak has improved its system for alerting passengers when trains are running late or routes are canceled.

Sullivan was supposed to take a train from Quincy to Chicago late last year on a day when heavy snows had halted trains. Although he checked online, there was no alert that the train was canceled, so Sullivan and about 40 other passengers waited for hours.

"They have taken steps and measures to upgrade the system they use to tell passengers what's happening," Sullivan said.

Mays said although freight train schedules may cause many of the delays, the one Wednesday night was caused by two Amtrak trains meeting at a place where there was not "double track" that would allow both trains to continue uninterrupted.

Magliari said Amtrak is constantly making adjustments to try to avoid such delays and is making headway.

"We're not satisfied with our performance yet, but it's getting better," Magliari said.

Contact Senior Writer Doug Wilson at dwilson@whig.com or (217) 221-3372

Presidential Candidate calls for More Light Rail

Here is an article about Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson's position on light rail. I will be on the lookout for what other candidates say and post that as well. CMT does not endorse candidates and this posting should not be considered as such.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—In the nation's capital of gridlock, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson promised Monday to create a partnership to build a light rail network and help untangle the Los Angeles region's notorious traffic.
With gas prices rising and roadways jammed, Richardson said it was time to rethink a federal transportation policy that pumps billions of dollars into new roads each year. Mass transit, he said, will be the best, cleanest way to move metropolitan residents in the future.
If elected, he said he would "make it a major effort to refocus transportation construction of roads into light rail and more energy efficient transportation," the New Mexico governor told reporters at a news conference.
"I would make light rail at least an equal partner" with highways, he said. With more rail and clean-running buses, "it's going to improve the quality of life in this country."
Richardson provided few specifics about funding, but said the construction would be financed with bonds backed by the state and federal government.
In his home state, Richardson started a commuter rail project, the Rail Runner Express, that runs along a 50-mile stretch through the state's most populous city, Albuquerque. It is not light rail; it uses existing track and conventional engines and cars. The nearly $400 million project also includes a planned extension north to Santa Fe, the capital, to help ease roadway congestion.
Richardson said the Bush White House has been "absent" when it comes to developing light rail, high-speed trains and other cleaner-running transportation systems in big cities. He said vast sums of money are siphoned off for pork-barrel road projects, which are of questionable value.
"I believe light rail is for the future," he said. "The president can be a partner, working with state and city and local communities in joint funding."
URL is:
http://www.montereyherald.com:80/state/ci_6115416