PORTHSMOUTH, N.H. — America’s use of mass transit remains only a fraction of the amount of travel by automobile, but inclement weather gives commuters more reason to get out from behind the wheel, the Portsmouth Herald reported.
Storms early this month produced bumps in ridership for Amtrak trains up and down the East Coast, including The Downeaster service between Portland, Maine, and Boston.
Patricia Douglas, deputy director, communications, for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, said the Dec. 5 and Dec. 11 storms had clear impacts on train travel.
The 8:45 a.m. train from Portland had 52 reservations on Dec. 5, up from 37 the day before, and 23 on Dec. 3. Reservations were also up for the morning train during the Dec. 11 storm. Reservations rose to 78 for that train, up from 55 on Dec. 10. Numbers for stations in New Hampshire, including Exeter, will not be available until next month.
Douglas said reservations do not include the approximate 90 passengers who use The Downeaster’s commuter and 10-ride passes. On average, there are about 50 of those riders on any given day, she said.
“In snowy and inclement weather, train travel has shown to be more consistent and safer,” Douglas said.
The National Association of Railroad Passengers, an advocate of Amtrak continuing its operation of passenger train service, said the December storms are further proof of the reliability of modern trains in adverse weather conditions.
According to the NARP, Dulles, BWI and Reagan National airports were forced to delay or cancel many flights during the storms. In contrast, Amtrak operated a normal schedule with only minor delays, the NARP said.
Commuters also tend to abandon their cars for buses during foul weather. Jim Jalbert, president of C & J Trailways in Portsmouth, said the first week of December is typically soft for most transportation modes because it’s in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this December’s numbers were bumped up because of the storms.
“Do people use us because of inclement weather? Absolutely,” Jalbert said. “We see spikes when we see inclement weather. But I think a lot of commuters to Boston are on flex time, and a lot of them don’t go, period, if the weather’s bad. The at-home office is very prevalent today.”
Gregg Schweitzer, 28, of Portsmouth, takes the C & J bus to Boston’s South Station at least three times per week. Having a bus line so close to home is extremely convenient, he said.
“Riding the bus not only saves me money from the would-be tolls, gas and parking fees, it also saves me from going crazy during rush-hour traffic,” Schweitzer said. “Having the option of riding a bus during the winter months is very beneficial.”
The number of Americans using public transportation remains a small fraction of the total pool.
According to a 1997 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, less than 5 percent of American commuters used public transportation in the form of train, bus and subway. Average daily travel per vehicle increased 68 percent between 1980 and 1997, the report stated.
However, a study released this year by the Washington, D.C.-based Eno Transportation Foundation showed ridership in public transit is at its highest level since 1959. The study showed ridership grew 21 percent from 1995 to 2000 and over the past 30 years public transit gained 2 billion riders.
The Downeaster celebrated its one-year anniversary on Dec. 15. The service continues to show strong ridership numbers.
“I think December is pretty much on track with previous months, somewhere around 20,000 riders,” Douglas said.
The service continues to be more popular on weekends than during the week. Ridership numbers tend to be 700 to 1,000 during the weekends and 300 to 600 during the week.
The Northern New England Rail Authority has proposed a new fare system for the Downeaster with higher prices for the most popular runs and lower prices for off-peak ones. Fares would also change with the seasons, rising in the summer on many trains and dropping after Labor Day.
Under the proposal, the biggest jump on a Portland-to-Boston ticket would be $2, from $21 to $23.
The rail authority said it wants to entice more passengers onto weekday trains and to get more regular riders.