(The following story by William Petroski appeared on the Des Moines Register website on November 25.)
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowans helped Amtrak set a ridership record this year, spurring optimism about a possible expansion of passenger railroad service in the state.
But the nation’s sharp economic downturn could temper that enthusiasm and limit how much state tax money is available to subsidize new Amtrak routes in Iowa, state officials said.
A total of 64,260 passengers got on and off Amtrak trains at six Iowa stations during the 12 months ending Sept. 30. That was an increase of 3 percent from a year earlier.
The total Iowa passengers was the highest since Amtrak was established in 1971.
Nationwide, 28.7 million people rode the trains, the sixth straight year of record ridership, the railroad said.
“Certainly over the past year we saw strong growth nationally, and higher gasoline prices through most of this year are the single largest reason for the increase,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari in Chicago.
Iowa’s ridership mark was set despite severe flooding that shut down southern Iowa train stations for about three weeks during the peak summer travel season.
The record is noteworthy as the state swings into a travel-heavy time of year. This week’s Thanksgiving holiday will again create plenty of customers for Amtrak and airlines, along with busy highways.
AAA, the motor club, projects a slight decline in holiday travel. About 41 million people will travel 50 or more miles home, down 1.4 percent from last year.
“The overall state of the economy continues to present real challenges for some Americans looking to travel this Thanksgiving,” said AAA President Robert Darbelnet.
“However, the desire to spend time with family, combined with significantly lower gasoline prices than earlier this year, will provide a strong impetus for many Americans to travel this holiday season.”
In Iowa, holiday travel should remain brisk, but it will also likely be down slightly, said Carol Brokaw, president of American Visions Travel in Burlington.
“The problem is that some of the people who could afford to travel were doing it on their investments. Those investments aren’t there anymore. They have disappeared,” Brokaw said.
Amtrak should hold its own, though, because it offers relatively low-cost fares, she added.
For example, a one-way coach ticket aboard Amtrak from Osceola to Denver, Colo., next week costs $77. An Amtrak coach trip from Osceola to San Francisco is priced at $126.
Amtrak offers Iowa service aboard two trains stopping daily while traveling between Chicago and the West Coast. The California Zephyr serves Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Ottumwa, Osceola and Creston. The Southwest Chief stops in Fort Madison.
Passenger train boosters are enthusiastic about the future in the wake of Amtrak studies exploring new train service in Iowa, but whether that happens anytime soon is uncertain.
An Amtrak report in April said a twice-daily train running between Chicago and Iowa City could start in 2011.
A study of extending Amtrak service from Iowa City to Des Moines is due next year. Amtrak is also considering service between Chicago and Dubuque.
Magliari, the Amtrak spokesman, said the railroad is in talks with state officials from Illinois and Iowa about expanding passenger service in both states.
Some state taxpayer subsidies would almost certainly be required for additional trains. State government now pays no subsidies to Amtrak.
Gov. Chet Culver is reviewing budget proposals and has yet to make a final decision about providing start-up funding for more Amtrak service, said Troy Price, a Culver aide.
State Sen. Tom Rielly, an Oskaloosa Democrat and chairman of the Iowa Senate Transportation Committee, said he remains open to providing money for additional Amtrak service, but he is not ready to make a commitment.
“We need to get a better handle on where we are sitting financially,” he said.
Amtrak supporters believe train service should be expanded sooner rather than later.
“It’s just a question of time before gasoline works its way back to $4 a gallon,” said Eliot Keller of Iowa City, excursion chairman of the Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers.
“Amtrak is convenient, it’s environmentally friendly and it’s safe. As airline ticket prices increase, people have an incentive to look for another option to travel that Amtrak offers.”
Amtrak backers are hoping President-elect Barack Obama will be generous in supporting federal subsidies for the perennial money-losing passenger railroad. Vice President-elect Joe Biden rode Amtrak daily between his home in Wilmington, Del., and Washington, D.C., while in the Senate. His son, Hunter Biden, is vice chairman of Amtrak’s board.