(The Quincy Herald-Whig posted the following story by Doug Wilson on its website on September 24.)
QUINCY, Ill. — Amtrak officials say three state-supported train routes are attracting more passengers this year.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said summer fare promotions, support from communities along the routes and marketing have contributed to a 7 percent increase in passengers during the first 11 months of the fiscal year.
“Our August numbers were especially good, and I think we may have some momentum built from those promotions,” Magliari said.
Good travel weather and successful baseball seasons by the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox may have helped push numbers higher, Magliari said.
Amtrak figures show the Illinois Zephyr, which travels daily between Quincy and Chicago, had a 22 percent increase in train travel, when comparing last month with August 2002. The Zephyr carried an average of 328 passengers per day for a total of 10,177 during the month.
Two other routes showed even larger improvements from last August. The Illini traveling between Carbondale and Chicago had a 24 percent increase, and the State House between St. Louis and Chicago saw a 34 percent increase.
Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said the state gives about $12 million a year to Amtrak to help cover costs on the routes serving Quincy, Carbondale, St. Louis and part of a route that serves Illinois communities on its way into Wisconsin.
The Illinois subsidies have been in place since the mid-1990s. This year, the passenger rail service was in danger when Congress considered a drastic cut in funding for Amtrak.
Although funding compromises helped preserve the service, Amtrak faces tough budget decisions in coming years.
Figures from Quincy show the number of boardings have steadily risen in each of the last six years, except for a small setback after the Sept. 11 attacks rocked the travel industry.
Mayor Chuck Scholz, a member of the Illinois Zephyr Corridor Committee, said work with Quincy University, Western Illinois University and other large rail users has been helpful in recent years.
George Weber, the passenger rail section chief at the Illinois Department of Transportation, said ridership is one measure of a route’s success. He said reliability is another measure, and Amtrak’s excellent on-time performance has been a big selling point.
Lia Edmonds, manager at Travel House in Quincy, has seen many clients traveling closer to home in recent years. Some travelers who might have taken extended vacations in past years may have taken a two- or three-day trip to Chicago this year.
“They (Amtrak) did have a good special in July that went on into August. The first passenger paid full price, the second passenger paid half price, and the third passenger traveled free,” Edmonds said.
Magliari said the promotional fares also have been boosted by communities along some of the Amtrak routes. The former Quincy resident, now of Chicago, said communities along the Illinois Zephyr route are especially good about promoting Amtrak service so their rail lines can be preserved.
“The Zephyr is our model for community cooperation. Quincy, Macomb and the other communities work together to preserve and promote Amtrak service,” Magliari said.