INDIANAPOLIS — Odds of saving Amtrak’s Hoosier State continued to fade Tuesday as the Indiana Senate left funding for the train out of its version of the two-year state budget, the Lafayette (Ind.) Journal & Courier reports.
State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) had said he would offer an amendment to continue the state’s $3 million in annual funding [see “State senator to offer amendment to restore ‘Hoosier State’ funding,” Trains News Wire, April 16, 2019]. But Alting was not given the opportunity to present his amendment before the Senate passed its bill by a 40-8 vote.
The budget now heads to a conference committee to sort out differences between the House and Senate versions, and Alting said he was not giving up. The authors of the Senate bill “are keeping an open mind in terms of possibly adding the funding during a conference committee,” Alting said in a statement. “We’ve faced some obstacles, but I’m not giving up. This is about persistence, and I will continue to work to obtain funding for the Hoosier State rail line.
These same Indiana Republicans did not hesitate to push thru a 1.2 billion tax increase 2 years ago.The money is obviously there.It is just plain stupid & ignorance to say the GOP leaders in this state have common sense when nothing is farther from the truth.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with this one
In 1956, The “James Whitcomb Riley” required 3:30 Chicago-Indianapolis. In 2016, The “Hoosier State” required 5 hours. Megabus takes 3:30, with 6 round trips per day.
Indiana seems to have something that is in short supply in politics these days, legislators and a governor who have and use common sense. My wife and I are looking to get out of liberal Maine, aka taxationland. Indiana seems to be a good candidate.
Gerald, you can add my home state, Wisconsin, to your “good” list. We support the Hiawatha.
After these articles have been up for a week or so, I think a question is emerging: how to get a train from Chicago to Indy (or to Cincy) in a reasonable amount of time and with good reliability as to schedule keeping. Bear in mind Gerald that a generation ago the so-called “rationalization” of so-called “redundant” rail routes was aimed squarely at Ohio and Indiana.
Gerald, I don’t know how much you have driven across Ohio and Indiana. On I-94 in northwestern Indiana, the freeway crosses numerous rail ROW’s, half of which are abandoned. In the tabletop flatland of northwestern Ohio, in the 1970’s or 1980’s, earth fills for bridge approaches on the Ohio Turnpike (I-90) were excavated down to original grade as rail routes were abandoned.
A post below mentions the traffic gridlock in NW Indiana, where traffic from Michigan, Ohio and Indy funnels to get to Chicago. Unfortunately the same gridlock applies on what’s left of the railroads. While the roads (notably I-94 from Michigan) have been greatly improved, the rail lines have been taken up.
It’s not just the Hoosier. Gerald, I’m sure you are old enough to remember Amtrak’s National Limited through Columbus. Columbus is a city the size of Milwaukee, or maybe bigger. Not only is the train long gone, so is the rail line it rode upon.
I’d like to see the name of the train changed; and operated between Chicago and Cincinnati, OH—or further east.
For the Chicago-Milwaukee trains, all 7 of them!
The Chicago-Springfield, Ill., trains continue on to St. Louis, so I’ll remove them. If you solely want to look at those that do originate/terminate in their city pairs, here are some additional examples:
Chicago-Grand Rapids, Mich. (176 miles) 1/day each direction
Oklahoma City-Ft. Worth, Tex. (206 miles) 1/day each direction
Portland, Ore.-Seattle, Wash. (186 miles) 2/day each direction (between those city pairs); this corridor is also served by 3 additional trains
Chicago-South Bend, Ind. (90 miles, the same as Milwaukee) 5/day each direction
Sorry, but I can’t buy the Chicago-Indy (which are about 184 miles apart) are too close argument against rail service:
Chicago-Milwaukee, Wisc., are 90 miles apart and have 7 trains per day each way, with (I believe) plans to add more. Chicago to Springfield, Ill., are 201 miles apart (similar to Indy) and have 5 trains each way.
I’m proud of my home state for burying this boondoggle. Chicago and Indy are just too close.
That is not to say that in some cases a state jumping in makes sense….like here in VA with Lynchburg and Norfolk service….
Would rather invest in Indiana state bonds, or Illinois state bonds?
Robert – Indiana state government dumped America’s most hopeless, underperforming trains. If we want rail service in this country (and I do) it means no tolerance for garbage like the Hoosier State.
I think Indiana has its first nickel ever when it comes to passenger rail investment. We need alternative choices and Indiana’s narrow minded approach just throws everyone onto the highway in a never ending quest to solve traffic problems and infrastructure upkeep.
Unfortunately Indiana doesn’t have the forethought of states like Illinois, Oregon, Washington, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania and others to see the value in spending money on such services…their loss and they can fall further behind those that look to the future.
Mr. Landey you can never seem to just state your opinion and move on you always have to get “dramatic” and reprise your “angry old man” character. Try some deep breathing exercises they work wonders!
Rodney – Rodney, yes I’ve driven what you describe as “the horrific crammed highways into Chicago”. Three or four years ago we drove from Lafayette to Wisconsin via Chicago (following a factory tour at SIA Lafayette, where our car was built). Years earlier this would have been a dreadful drive due to congestion on I-94 at Gary. That bottleneck has been totally rebuilt. We drove from Lafayette home to Wisconsin pretty much at freeway speeds the entire way.
Had we gone by rail it would have been two different experiences. On our own end, the frequent, fast and comfortable Amtrak Hiawatha. On the Indiana end, an endless schlep on their pitiful embarrassment of a train.
How many of those trains terminate in those two cities?????
There should be trains every 30′ throughout the day. Has anyone driven the horrific crammed highways into Chicago. Zero vision. Let’s keep doing what we have always done. This is why the US has a 19th century passenger system.