(The following story by Mike Irwin appeared on the Wentachee World website on March 24, 2010.)
WENATCHEE, Wash. — Amtrak ridership between Leavenworth and Puget Sound shattered the railroad company’s estimates for the route’s first four months of operation, Leavenworth mayor Rob Eaton said Tuesday.
The number of riders moving between the Bavarian town’s new platform train station and Puget Sound cities stood at 4,461, he said, which is 111 percent of Amtrak estimates for October through January.
February ridership numbers, expected to be announced this week, should also surpass estimates, the mayor said.
“We’ve had phenomenal response to this new (train) service,” he said.
Eaton reported ridership results at the Tri-commission meeting, the quarterly gathering of Chelan County PUD commissioners, Port of Chelan County commissioners and the Chelan County board of commissioners. Also attending Tuesday’s gathering were the mayors of Wenatchee, Chelan, Leavenworth, Cashmere and Entiat.
The group discussed establishing better communication among the commissioners and city officials, heard updates on various city and county projects and received phoned-in legislative news from U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, in Washington, D.C., and Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, in Olympia. The group also received updates from Representatives Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, and Cary Condotta, R-Wenatchee, who attended the meeting.
Eaton also told the group that the new train route now provides commuter service for a handful of Leavenworth residents.
“One woman was driving between here and her office in Everett two to three times a week,” said the mayor. “Now she takes the train, works on her laptop, relaxes on the way back. And we have other folks who commute one to two times a week on the train.”
The mayor said he has begun commuting by train to meetings in Seattle and Olympia. “So you see, it’s not just the tourists riding the train,” he said. “Locals have found it easy and fun.”