Amtrak Rising

[marmar]

Amtrak ridership increases steadily
By Luke Rosiak

Amtrak ridership has risen for 15 months in a row, and last month marked its best January ever with 2.1 million passengers. In seven of the last eight years, it has set yearly records, and carried 28.7 million riders in fiscal year 2010.

The fast-traveling Acela Express showed a ridership increase of 9.2 percent in October through January compared to a year prior.

Officials attributed it to an improving economy, high gas prices, increased popularity of rail, and the addition of Wi-Fi internet to the Acela.

"The steady rise in ridership demonstrates a growing demand and the ongoing need for a national intercity passenger rail system," Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman said in a statement. "With oil approaching $100 a barrel, we expect to continue to post strong ridership numbers as more and more people choose Amtrak to meet their transportation needs." ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dr-gridlock/2011/02/amtrak_ridership_increases_ste.html


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Amtrak ridership and revenue soar on Michigan routes

Contact: Janet Foran, MDOT Office of Communications,
[e-mail]
517-335-7176
Agency: Transportation

January 24, 2011 -- Ridership and revenue soared on Michigan's three Amtrak routes during the first quarter of fiscal year 2011, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The strong performance indicates that more passengers are becoming aware of the convenience and good value of rail travel. In addition, Amtrak is managing their fleet differently and has added rail cars to the Wolverine and Blue Water routes, which means more seats for passengers.

In figures for the 2010-2011 fiscal year first quarter (October - December), 130,683 passengers rode Amtrak Wolverine service trains on the Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago corridor, an increase of 22.7 percent from the same period a year earlier. Ticket revenue was up by more than 26 percent to $4,949,889.

The Blue Water train on the Port Huron/East Lansing-Chicago route saw an impressive 29.5 percent increase with 46,272 passengers using the Amtrak service. Ticket revenue was up by 25.7 percent to $1,454,500. In December, records indicate that the Blue Water surpassed four million riders since it began in 1974.

Ridership on the Pere Marquette train on the Grand Rapids-Chicago route experienced improvement too, with a 7.8 percent increase in passengers to 25,916 and a 14.1 percent increase in ticket revenue of $801,219. These numbers are likely lower than the other increases because of the move of the New Buffalo station from the Pere Marquette to the Blue Water and Wolverine in 2010. Overall, these percentage increases were among the best in the nation on Amtrak corridor services. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151--250144--,00.html


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Amtrak Ridership Grows 15th Month in a Row

Gatehouse Media, Inc.
The State Journal- Register (Springfield, IL)


Nearly 194,000 passengers used Amtrak service between St. Louis and Chicago from January through October, an 11.7 percent increase that put the route among the 10 busiest corridors nationwide.

Travel on the central Illinois corridor reflected 15 straight months of growth nationwide, with most of the local travel coming on the Springfield-Chicago section, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said Monday.

"When you walk the trains, you see it on Springfield to Chicago, and not so much on Springfield to St. Louis," said Magliari.

While the carrier does not track separate figures, Magliari said business travel appear to have picked up the last few months. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=3&id=13701

[Vogon_Glory]

1. A Working, Successful Operation Is No Defense Against

A functional, successful (even if underfunded, under-capitalized, and needing more trains) is no defense against right-wing Teabagger Republicans who are against "big gummint."

I would add one more thing. Despite my frequent disappointment with Amtrak, it is one of the few centers of financial and engineering experience with intercity passenger rail technology. Replacing Amtrak should the Teabagger Republicans succeed in throwing it away would be hideously expensive, just as replacing the old trolley lines in those American cities that have started light rail have discovered.

I have come to believe that today's right-wing Republicans can no more be trusted to maintain civil engineering infrastructure than the worst of the most wretchedly-governed corruption- and patronage-ridden crony-capitalist Third World countries.