Spring Break
More Illinoisans travel to work, vacation by train
Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: News
CHICAGO (AP) - More Illinoisans are traveling to work and vacation by train, according to state and Metra officials.
The announcements come as Metra and Amtrak lobby for more money from state and federal governments.
Metra, which operates Chicago's commuter rail system, recorded 84.3 million passenger trips in 2006, the most in the company's history, and a 5.2 percent increase over 2005, officials said.
Meanwhile, passengers increased by 69 percent on newly expanded Amtrak routes between Chicago and St. Louis, Carbondale and Quincy, state officials said.
The Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees funding for Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace bus system, wants the Illinois General Assembly to fund $10 billion in capital investment over the next five years and an additional $400 million a year to operate the three agencies.
"This surge in ridership highlights the need to continue to maintain and expand our commuter rail system," Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano said in a statement.
Amtrak is trying to prevent $400 million in proposed funding cuts that are included in the Bush administration's fiscal year 2008 budget.
"This increase in ridership tells me that the federal government is headed in the wrong direction when it tries to slash funding for Amtrak," Gov. Rod Blagojevich said in a statement Sunday.
Expanded rail service, more stations, rising gasoline prices, and Chicago Bears games were key factors behind Metra's passenger surge, said Lynnette Ciavarella, director of planning and analysis.
Still, lawmakers have other funding priorities like health care and education, and transportation might get lost in the shuffle, Metra Chairwoman Carole Doris said.
"Transit is not at the top of the list," Doris said.
For Amtrak, the Chicago-to-St. Louis line had the biggest increase in passengers. More than 64,200 passengers rode the line in November, December and January, a 95 percent increase over the same period a year earlier. Passengers increased by 68 percent on the Carbondale line and 38 percent on the Quincy line, officials said.
Illinois' General Assembly doubled funding that the Illinois Department of Transportation gave to Amtrak in fiscal year 2007, to $24.2 million, to pay for the extended services that began Oct. 30.
"These numbers demonstrate the demand for Amtrak in Illinois and tell us that we did the right thing when we doubled state support for passenger rail," Blagojevich said.
The announcements come as Metra and Amtrak lobby for more money from state and federal governments.
Metra, which operates Chicago's commuter rail system, recorded 84.3 million passenger trips in 2006, the most in the company's history, and a 5.2 percent increase over 2005, officials said.
Meanwhile, passengers increased by 69 percent on newly expanded Amtrak routes between Chicago and St. Louis, Carbondale and Quincy, state officials said.
The Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees funding for Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace bus system, wants the Illinois General Assembly to fund $10 billion in capital investment over the next five years and an additional $400 million a year to operate the three agencies.
"This surge in ridership highlights the need to continue to maintain and expand our commuter rail system," Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano said in a statement.
Amtrak is trying to prevent $400 million in proposed funding cuts that are included in the Bush administration's fiscal year 2008 budget.
"This increase in ridership tells me that the federal government is headed in the wrong direction when it tries to slash funding for Amtrak," Gov. Rod Blagojevich said in a statement Sunday.
Expanded rail service, more stations, rising gasoline prices, and Chicago Bears games were key factors behind Metra's passenger surge, said Lynnette Ciavarella, director of planning and analysis.
Still, lawmakers have other funding priorities like health care and education, and transportation might get lost in the shuffle, Metra Chairwoman Carole Doris said.
"Transit is not at the top of the list," Doris said.
For Amtrak, the Chicago-to-St. Louis line had the biggest increase in passengers. More than 64,200 passengers rode the line in November, December and January, a 95 percent increase over the same period a year earlier. Passengers increased by 68 percent on the Carbondale line and 38 percent on the Quincy line, officials said.
Illinois' General Assembly doubled funding that the Illinois Department of Transportation gave to Amtrak in fiscal year 2007, to $24.2 million, to pay for the extended services that began Oct. 30.
"These numbers demonstrate the demand for Amtrak in Illinois and tell us that we did the right thing when we doubled state support for passenger rail," Blagojevich said.
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