LITTLE ROCK, Ark. –Passenger-train advocates say Amtrak will have to make a major investment in Arkansas before passenger rail service in the state can be profitable, according to a wire service report.
But even the most die-hard train buffs admit such a commitment isn’t likely. Instead, they predict Amtrak’s Texas Eagle, which carried 22,333 Arkansas passengers in 2001, will continue to roll through the state with limited stops and a constant threat of shutdown.
The Eagle travels between Chicago and Dallas, with stops in Walnut Ridge, Little Rock, Malvern, Arkadelphia and Texarkana. It is the only Amtrak train serving the state.
“This track is in the heartland of mid-America and it should be one of the services that Amtrak provides,” said state Rep. Don House, D-Walnut Ridge, a longtime advocate of passenger train service. “The route is in jeopardy. We will do everything in our power to continue to support the service, but realistically it will take congressional support.”
Amtrak averted a possible systemwide shutdown June 29 after reaching a $200 million deal with the Bush administration to keep the company operating through September. The agreement calls for Amtrak to identify $100 million in potential budget cuts by the end of August.
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta has proposed solutions to Amtrak’s budget crunch, including giving states more responsibility to pay for rail service.
But House and others say Arkansas cannot afford to subsidize Amtrak.
“We will have to depend primarily on federal assistance. Our (state) budget is terribly strapped,” House said.
Amtrak spokeswoman Kathleen Kantillon said the company hasn’t decided where it will make the $100 million in proposed budget cuts or if the Texas Eagle will be targeted.
“The focus right now is on the continuation of existing service,” she said.
Bill Pollard, chairman of the Conway-based Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization, believes passenger service will continue in Arkansas after September.
Pollard’s volunteer group works to support the Texas Eagle through advertising and other methods.
“I am pleased they decided to keep it going through September. The question is how to develop a funding source so that the country doesn’t go through an Amtrak crisis every few years,” he said.
Pollard said communities such as Walnut Ridge and Arkadelphia, which have made major investments in train depot upgrades, have the most to lose if Amtrak service ends.
Arkadelphia used $350,000 in grant money to upgrade its depot. Construction ended last year.
Blain Smith, director of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce, said the city worked for 10 years to fund and complete the depot renovation
“At one point Arkadelphia was one of the highest selling per capita ticket points along the Texas Eagle line. We believe the potential here is tremendous,” he said.
But for the potential to be reached, Amtrak must concentrate on adding stops and increasing its routes through the state, Smith said.
“With the exception of the eastern corridor, Amtrak offers minimal service nationwide,” he said.
Joe David Rice, state tourism director, said Amtrak’s limited service in the state is one reason Arkansas hasn’t focused on marketing rail service to potential tourists.
The Texas Eagle pulls into Little Rock at midnight and 5 a.m. — southbound at midnight, on its way to Chicago at 5 a.m.
“I don’t think the scheduling helps. People are not wanting to get off the train in the middle of the night,” he said.
In February budget cuts, Amtrak laid off six Arkansas station attendants and cut operating hours at its Little Rock station.
The station, which had been open 24 hours Monday through Saturday with fewer hours on Sunday, is now open from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily.