Iowa Global Warming

In a week focused on the fate of the auto industry and the naming of an auto czar, Iowa politicians and state representatives are turning their attention to the rails.

Iowans assisted Amtrak in setting a record number of riders this year – 64,260 passengers used Amtrak trains at six Iowa stations in a 12-month period ending in September, a 3 percent increase over last year’s count. The number of Iowa passengers taking to the trains that year was the highest passenger load Amtrak has seen since it was established in 1971. Across the nation, 28.7 million people rode the rails, signaling the sixth-consecutive year of record passenger levels. The increase in train travel is encouraging optimism around Iowa regarding the possibility of a potential expansion of rail service.

In April of this year, a study released by Amtrak found that rail service from Iowa City to the Quad Cities would have the support of both citizens and legislators. Such a route would require a contract splitting the annual costs among Chicago, the Quad Cities, and Iowa City, each contributing around $6 million. However, recent economic hardships may hinder progress as state representatives wrestle with available capital to subsidize new routes.

The Department of Transportation will offer a proposal to the Legislature in an attempt to secure funding for such an undertaking. Federal matching funds will also serve as an option to financially support the project. If the route uses the Iowa Interstate Railroad, the project could be quite a bargain. The Iowa Interstate Railroad bought the Iowa portion of the Rock Island line, which provided rail service to Iowa City until the early 1970s.

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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.

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