Amtrak Iowa Boardings Up

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Record number board Amtrak trains in Iowa

Posted on Nov 29, 2009 by Admin.

DES MOINES (AP) – Amtrak ridership in Iowa broke a record this year, with more than 66,000 passengers getting on and off trains at Iowa stations during the federal budget year that ended Sept. 30.

That was a 3 percent increase, or about 2,000 more passengers compared with a year earlier. Officials say it was the most in Iowa since Congress created Amtrak in 1971.

Airline passenger counts at the Des Moines airport were down 8.2 percent from January through October compared with the same period last year. The volume of highway miles traveled in Iowa was up 1.2 percent for the first 10 months of 2009. Amtrak operates two daily trains that pass through southern Iowa.

Proposals are pending for Chicago-to-Dubuque service, and a Chicago-to-Iowa City train stopping in the Quad Cities.

http://gazetteonline.com/breaking-news/2009/11/29/record-number-board-amtrak-trains-in-iowa

2

Good news, even with rather limited service.

3

I hope that the two new proposed Amtrak routes Chicago-Dubuque and Chicago-Moline are extended into Iowa, as there is some talk of that happening.

4

What about a Minneapolis to Kansas City route through Iowa???

5

That’d be nice to see to, they could use the old spine line, but to date I haven’t heard any talk about that. There is definitely talk (and some funding legislation already passed) for new lines out of Chicago because Obama wants to position Chicago as a regional transportation hub.

6

It works out to about 90 passengers per train. Not too bad, considering the train misses all of Iowa’s population centers and college towns.