By WILLIAM PETROSKI
November 25 -- Iowans helped Amtrak set a ridership record this year, spurring
optimism about a possible expansion of passenger railroad service in
the state.
But the nation's sharp economic downturn could temper
that enthusiasm and limit how much state tax money is available to
subsidize new Amtrak routes in Iowa, state officials said.
A
total of 64,260 passengers got on and off Amtrak trains at six Iowa
stations during the 12 months ending Sept. 30. That was an increase of
3 percent from a year earlier.
The total Iowa passengers was the highest since Amtrak was established in 1971.
Nationwide, 28.7 million people rode the trains, the sixth straight year of record ridership, the railroad said.
"Certainly
over the past year we saw strong growth nationally, and higher gasoline
prices through most of this year are the single largest reason for the
increase," said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari in Chicago.
Iowa's
ridership mark was set despite severe flooding that shut down southern
Iowa train stations for about three weeks during the peak summer travel
season.
The record is noteworthy as the state swings into a
travel-heavy time of year. This week's Thanksgiving holiday will again
create plenty of customers for Amtrak and airlines, along with busy
highways.
AAA, the motor club, projects a slight decline in
holiday travel. About 41 million people will travel 50 or more miles
home, down 1.4 percent from last year.
"The overall state of the
economy continues to present real challenges for some Americans looking
to travel this Thanksgiving," said AAA President Robert Darbelnet.
"However,
the desire to spend time with family, combined with significantly lower
gasoline prices than earlier this year, will provide a strong impetus
for many Americans to travel this holiday season."
In Iowa,
holiday travel should remain brisk, but it will also likely be down
slightly, said Carol Brokaw, president of American Visions Travel in
Burlington.
"The problem is that some of the people who could
afford to travel were doing it on their investments. Those investments
aren't there anymore. They have disappeared," Brokaw said.
Amtrak should hold its own, though, because it offers relatively low-cost fares, she added.
For
example, a one-way coach ticket aboard Amtrak from Osceola to Denver,
Colo., next week costs $77. An Amtrak coach trip from Osceola to San
Francisco is priced at $126.
Amtrak offers Iowa service aboard
two trains stopping daily while traveling between Chicago and the West
Coast. The California Zephyr serves Burlington, Mount Pleasant,
Ottumwa, Osceola and Creston. The Southwest Chief stops in Fort Madison.
Passenger
train boosters are enthusiastic about the future in the wake of Amtrak
studies exploring new train service in Iowa, but whether that happens
anytime soon is uncertain.
An Amtrak report in April said a twice-daily train running between Chicago and Iowa City could start in 2011.
A
study of extending Amtrak service from Iowa City to Des Moines is due
next year. Amtrak is also considering service between Chicago and
Dubuque.
Magliari, the Amtrak spokesman, said the railroad is in
talks with state officials from Illinois and Iowa about expanding
passenger service in both states.
Some state taxpayer subsidies
would almost certainly be required for additional trains. State
government now pays no subsidies to Amtrak.
Gov. Chet Culver is
reviewing budget proposals and has yet to make a final decision about
providing start-up funding for more Amtrak service, said Troy Price, a
Culver aide.
State Sen. Tom Rielly, an Oskaloosa Democrat and
chairman of the Iowa Senate Transportation Committee, said he remains
open to providing money for additional Amtrak service, but he is not
ready to make a commitment.
"We need to get a better handle on where we are sitting financially," he said.
Amtrak supporters believe train service should be expanded sooner rather than later.
"It's
just a question of time before gasoline works its way back to $4 a
gallon," said Eliot Keller of Iowa City, excursion chairman of the Iowa
Association of Railroad Passengers.
"Amtrak is convenient, it's
environmentally friendly and it's safe. As airline ticket prices
increase, people have an incentive to look for another option to travel
that Amtrak offers."
Amtrak backers are hoping President-elect
Barack Obama will be generous in supporting federal subsidies for the
perennial money-losing passenger railroad. Vice President-elect Joe
Biden rode Amtrak daily between his home in Wilmington, Del., and
Washington, D.C., while in the Senate. His son, Hunter Biden, is vice
chairman of Amtrak's board.