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News Industry News Amtrak Improving Longer Routes
| Amtrak Improving Longer Routes |
| Friday, 16 April 2010 | |
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Amtrak, America's only major passenger train system, is re-examining timetables and finding other ways to improve its 15 national routes to bring in more riders and revenue. Among those under review are two routes that dip into Ohio and are practically hidden at night, their trains passing through when most people are sleeping. In many states, travelers who take Amtrak's long-distance trains for vacations or out-of-state business trips board in the middle of the night and return home from such cities as Chicago or New York City at times that are just as inconvenient. The push for upgrades comes as Amtrak is on pace for record ridership this year, carrying a best-ever 13.6 million passengers in the first half of fiscal year 2010. That's a 4.3-percent increase over the same period last year, and 100,000 more than 13.5 million posted in the first half of 2008, Amtrak's previous highest ridership of 28.7 million passengers. Amtrak cites an improving economy and high fuel prices as factors in ridership growth. President Barack Obama is also giving US$8 billion in stimulus money to 13 high-speed rail projects and 31 states, though Amtrak's role in those projects is murky, since states will control the funds. Some of the projects are years away from completion. In the meantime, Amtrak is putting all of its long-distance routes under review through 2012, including five this year. They include the Cardinal, a train that stops in Cincinnati three days a week on its way between Chicago and New York City; and the Capitol Limited, a daily train between Chicago and Washington, DC, that stops in Ohio at Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland and Alliance. Also being reviewed are the Texas Eagle (Chicago-San Antonio), the California Zephyr (Chicago-Emeryville, Calif.) and the Sunset Limited (Los Angeles-New Orleans). |
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