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Indiana starts negotiations to continue operating ‘Hoosier State’
In what other way should Indiana do the math? Is there new math? I keep hearing rumors about this new kind of math where it doesn’t matter what the result is for 2+2, just as long as you feel good about the result.
A lot of equipment won’t make it to Chicago if this train gets cancelled. It would be a lot harder to tie all of it onto the rear end of the Cardinal…
So Indiana just needs to figure out if $56 per ticket is worth the price to provide this service to the wonderful residents of their fine state.
I don’t think that Amtrak would have any problem getting equipment from Beech Grove to Chicago. The party of “NO” currently running Indiana into the ground will come to their senses and fund the Hoosier State.
Maybe a better option is to look at the costs and revenues of making Cardinal daily. The route would be over 750 miles and would not be the responsibility of the state of Indiana!
I generally support Amtrak, but spending $80 to subsidize a $24 ticket is recovering less than 20% of costs. I hope the study shows that expansion of frequency or schedule changes could improve this. Also, a faster schedule might attract more riders, and revenue. If the financial picture can’t be improved, it is hard to see how the state will be able to justify it to the taxpayers. However, since I am not an Indiana taxpayer, I will defer to those who are to make their voices heard.
What will that extra 2.5 million cover for the highways in the state of Indiana? A drop in the bucket, I’m sure.
What needs to be done is to see what improvements can be implemented that will help reduce the subsidy. I think the more frequencies that can be run, the lower the subsidy. It’s too bad that part of the PRIIA of 2008 which requires that states to take over funding of routes under 750 miles can’t be repealed or at least watered down.
change the hoosier state to 7day–chicago to indianopolis in
morning and indianopolis to chicago in late affernoon
maybe some day extend to louisville,ky
Our state has spent millions on a 4 lane upgrade of SR 25 NE of Lafayette to benefit truckers,and is in the process of spending enormous sums on a new route I-69 extension SW of Indianapolis, taking out thousands of acres of farmland, when an alternative route using existing I-70 and SR 63 would have been much cheaper and less damaging to southern Indiana farmland. I-65 is crowded between Indy and Chicago, getting some of that traffic off that route and delaying adding a third lane would save us money. INVEST the 3 mil in the Hoosier State. The main problem with that train is the long time it takes to get from one place to another. Years ago, you could take the train from Lafayette to Chicago and get there in about 2.5 hours, it is close to an hour longer now. That won’t work.
Upgradong sr 25 to benefit truckers? I dont care if its upgraded or not. Upgrades benefit you! If it just benefits truckers…then get off my road! It benefits yput community and its occupants.