(The following story by Tim Landis appeared on the State Journal-Register website on April 17, 2010.)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Amtrak’s route through Springfield was one of the fastest-growing in the nation in the first six months of the federal fiscal year.
Nearly 296,000 passengers rode trains on the line between Chicago and St. Louis from October through March, a 10 percent increase from the same period the previous fiscal year, according to figures released Friday.
Two other Illinois routes, Chicago-Carbondale and Chicago-Quincy, were essentially flat. Statewide ridership totaled more than 558,000, a 5 percent increase.
“It’s anybody you might see driving on (Interstate) 55. It’s business travelers, it’s leisure travelers,” said Marc Magliari, a spokesman for Amtrak in Chicago.
Magliari said Easter travel boosted numbers in March, but the trend has continued into April.
“March was up, and April is going well,” said Magliari.
The St. Louis-Chicago line was one of eight routes nationwide to show double-digit increases in passenger numbers in the first half of the fiscal year. Amtrak operates more than 40 local and overnight routes.
Amtrak nationwide is on pace to set a record for the fiscal year that ends in September, according to figures released by the Washington, D.C., headquarters this week. More than 13.6 million took Amtrak in the first half of the fiscal year, a 4.3 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
The fastest growth was in the Northeast. Amtrak officials attribute the increase to an improving economy and rising fuel prices.
Springfield also is awaiting final approval for a $714,000 renovation of the Amtrak station on Third Street. It has been nearly a year since the city council approved $571,500 from the downtown tax increment financing district to help pay for the work.
City economic development director Mike Farmer said final approval must come from the Amtrak national office.
“The ordinance is approved, the money is ready. We’re just waiting on Amtrak,” said Farmer.
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Ridership on the Illinois lines, Oct. 1-March 31 compared to same period a year earlier
* Chicago-St. Louis: 295,272; 269,289
* Chicago-Carbondale: 148,892; 149,501
* Chicago-Quincy: 114,057; 114,019
* State total: 558,221; 532,809