(The Associated Press circulated the following on August 20.)
CHICAGO — Amtrak ridership is at record highs across the country. In Illinois, ridership was 1,496,489 from October to July, 2008, a 19 percent increase compared to the same period a year before.
ILLINOIS LINES: Ridership on the Chicago-Quincy route rose 19 percent during the October-July period. The Chicago-Carbondale route was up 17 percent, and there were 15 percent more riders using the Chicago-St. Louis line.
THE PROBLEM?: There aren’t enough passenger cars to meet rising demand. Illinois is so short of spare cars that it often can’t find any to add onto popular trains when they sell out.
THE FLEET NOW: In the United States as a whole, Amtrak’s aging fleet includes 1,500 cars and 400 locomotives. But to keep pace with rising demand Amtrak says it needs to double the size of that fleet over the next decade.
WHERES THE MONEY?: Amtrak doesn’t even have enough money to refurbish old cars, nevermind to buy new ones. An Amtrak reauthorization bill that passed the House and Senate could help, but President Bush has threatened to veto it.