(The Chicago Tribune posted the following article on its website on July 23.)
CHICAGO — A record number of passengers–nearly 955,530–rode Amtrak trains that were state supported in fiscal 2006, officials said Friday, an increase attributed partly to soaring gasoline prices.
Amtrak posted an 11 percent overall increase in riders during the fiscal year on routes serving Chicago that are partially funded by the state. It marked the second-straight year of record ridership on the Amtrak routes.
The Hiawatha trains operating between Chicago Union Station and Milwaukee led the way with a 13 percent ridership increase. More than 569,000 passengers rode the line between July 2005 and June 2006, according to Amtrak. Hiawatha operations are supported by the Illinois and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation.
The Illini trains between Chicago and Carbondale recorded a 10 percent jump in riders in fiscal 2006. The State House line between Chicago and St. Louis was up 9 percent and the Illinois Zephyr route between Chicago and Quincy saw a 4.6 percent gain, officials said.
Illinois paid $12 million to Amtrak during the year to provide one round-trip daily on the Illini, Illinois Zephyr and the State House routes, and seven daily round trips on the Hiawatha.
Illinois is doubling its support, to $24 million, in fiscal 2007 to increase Amtrak schedules and pay a greater share of the Hiawatha service to better match Wisconsin. The plan includes one additional train daily on the Quincy and Carbondale lines and two additional trains on the St. Louis route, pending contract negotiations with Amtrak. The new service is expected to begin in the fall.