(The following story by John R. Pulliam appeared on The Register-Mail website on May 23.)
GALESBURG, Ill. — Amtrak officials credit a 30 percent increase in ridership on trains in the Chicago-Galesburg-Quincy corridor in part to the new Carl Sandburg state-supported route and partially to increasing gas prices.
Meanwhile, problems with congestion due to freight traffic continue to hurt Amtrak’s on-time performance. A BNSF Railway official said much of the reason is because of a decision by the state.
“The new trains began running before the capacity was in place,” BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said.
Forsberg said state money is needed to rectify the situation.
State Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, a member of the House Railroad Committee, agreed the state should help BNSF increase its capacity with money for such things as sidings to allow freight trains to make way for Amtrak.
“We have developed a list of priorities we think would help the rail industry in Illinois and it would include money for some sidings BNSF is talking about,” Moffitt said of the committee. “I hope we can do it. … If there’s a capital bill, there a better chance there will be money, but that’s unknown.”
With the state of the state’s finances, Moffitt cautioned, “I don’t want to create any false expectations. However, a little investment could create a large return. I’m not sure how the state’s on-time performance will be.”
The Carl Sandburg began running Oct. 30, 2006. Passenger counts illustrate the effect both it and rising gas prices have had on ridership. The smallest increase of the seven-month period – October 2006 through April of this year – was 6 percent in October, when the new train ran two days. The largest increase was 42 percent in April, as gas prices began to go up rapidly to the current $3.35 for a gallon of unleaded at most local filling stations.
“Certainly the $3 gas spike, $3.30, $3.40 in some areas, leads lots of people to look for alternatives,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari, as he was arriving in Denver on the California Zephyr. “We’re particularly well known as an alternative in the Galesburg area.”
Along with the California Zephyr and the Carl Sandburg, Galesburg also is served by the Illinois Zephyr – another state-supported train in the Chicago-Galesburg-Quincy corridor – and the Southwest Chief.
Magliari admitted there is a problem with trains arriving on schedule. The Chicago Tribune reported earlier this week that the on-time rate of one of the new state-supported trains – from St. Louis to Chicago – was only 6.5 percent in the period from Oct. 1, 2006, through May 5 of this year.
Magliari did not have on-time statistics immediately available for this area.
“Amtrak is substantially sub-par,” Magliari did say of the number of trains arriving when expected. “When we began additional service, we agreed with BNSF to look at congestion after a year.”
He said the Illinois Department of Transportation also is involved.
“BNSF has already supplied some ideas,” Magliari said, adding that many problems in this area “revolved around congestion at the Galesburg freight yard and track limitations at the Galesburg depot. Certainly Galesburg is a very busy place. Our depot is right at the mouth of the yard.”
The railyard in Galesburg is the second largest on the BNSF system.
“We’ve been working cooperatively with BNSF,” Magliari said. “It’s (the on-time rate) been better in the last two months than the previous two months.”