(The following story by Mike Riopell appeared on the Bloomington Pantagraph website on June 25.)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A passenger train group on Wednesday criticized Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal to cut the state’s support of Amtrak at a time when high gas prices are on nearly everyone’s minds.
“It’s a great way to respond to $4-a-gallon gasoline,” Ross Capon, National Association of Railroad Passengers director, said sarcastically.
Among $1.5 billion in budget reductions proposed by Blagojevich on Tuesday is the elimination of $28 million for Amtrak lines that include trains that stop at several downstate towns.
But whether those cuts actually will happen is unclear, and an Amtrak spokesman said trains won’t stop unless the cuts become official.
“We have no plans to suspend service,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
Magliari said the eventual decision is up to the state whether to spend the $28 million. Blagojevich has yet to take action on the state budget, and lawmakers could further change plans after that.
Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said his agency isn’t sure how the cuts would work if they eventually are made.
“We haven’t gotten to the point where we have a whole lot of specifics on this,” Claffey said.
If the state decided to eliminate its Amtrak contract, three Lincoln Service trains between Chicago and St. Louis that stop in Bloomington-Normal, Dwight, Pontiac and Lincoln would be cut. One Lincoln Service train and the Texas Eagle would remain.
Also facing cancellation are the Saluki and Illini trains that run from Chicago to Carbondale with stops in Champaign and Mattoon. The City of New Orleans train would remain.
The number of riders on the lines is up in the last year, a fact that Capon says makes any threats to cut Amtrak service ill-timed.
“The public is saying, ‘We want opportunities to drive less,’” he said.