(The following appeared on the Journal Times website on October 29.)
RACINE, Wisc. — Those who advocate rail transportation as a needed option in the nation’s overall transportation planning mix had to be enthusiastic this week with the release of new ridership figures for Amtrak, the country’s passenger rail system
It’s up. Up for the sixth straight year. Up by double-digits — 11.1 percent from fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008 in the year which ended Sept. 30.
A total of 28.7 million people rode the passenger rails in 2008 and that generated ticket revenue of $1.7 billion. That, too, was up — by more than 14 percent.
Higher gasoline prices and airline cuts were cited as partial reasons for the rise in rail traffic and Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Alex Kummant was quoted in news reports as saying, “We have momentum … There is a recognition now that rail matters.”
And how did Amtrak fare in our little corner of the state? Very well. The Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha ridership rate last year was up 26 percent — more than double the increase of other lines in the country — with a ridership total of 749,659. The Chicago-to-Seattle Empire Builder which runs through the state was up 10 percent in ridership.
The numbers aren’t surprising. In fact they echo reports earlier this fall of double-digit rises in ridership on light rail systems in Minneapolis, San Francisco, St. Louis and Baltimore.
Which brings us, of course, to the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail.
Given the tightness of economic times these days, it’s probably a bit unlikely that there will be a major push anytime soon to revive a funding proposal for the KRM rail system to connect the three major cities in Wisconsin’s southeast corner.
But, in many ways, now is exactly the right time to push for KRM and the economic opportunities and growth that will surely accompany completion of a commuter rail line. The issue is even more urgent when we consider that the existing rail corridors are available now, but there are no guarantees they will be there in the future. If we wait for the day when motor vehicle gridlock is routine — as it already is in some of our major metro areas — that will be too late.
Not everyone will take the train. But as this week’s Amtrak figures show, some will, and those who do will ease some of the congestion on our streets and highways and help develop a balanced mix of transportation that will better serve our nation.