(The following appeared on the Fort Mill Times website on August 20.)
CHICAGO — The head of Amtrak is set to appear in Chicago to discuss upgrades for the increasingly popular service.
Ridership on Amtrak’s passenger trains has soared to record levels across the country as gas prices have skyrocketed.
Amtrak’s CEO Alex Kummant is expected to join U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Illinois Department of Transportation head Milt Sees for a tour of the Amtrak Chicago Maintenance Facility later in the day.
Durbin is lobbying for the passage of a reauthorization that would provide a dedicated funding source for Amtrak improvements to take advantage of a growing appetite for passenger rail.
Some money would go toward upgrading service on Amtrak’s Chicago-St. Louis route.