INDIANAPOLIS — State Sen. Ron Alting says he will offer an amendment to the proposed state budget that would restore funding for Amtrak’s Hoosier State service, WLFI-TV reports.
Alting, a Republican, represents a district including Lafayette, Ind., one of the communities served on the train’s Chicago-Indianapolis route. He told the TV station, “Many people in our area use this rail line. It is a vital resource to our community and state, providing an alternative source of transportation. I believe the Hoosier State Rail Line is an important part of our state, and if amended into the budget, I hope HB 1001 will assist in its continuation.”
The state currently provides $3 million in funding for the train, but it was not included in the proposed budget of Gov. Eric Holcomb, and a similar amendment offered in the state House of Representatives was voted down 59-35 in February. Without state funding, the four-day-a-week train will be discontinued at the end of June. Amtrak has already stopped selling tickets for the train after that date. [See “With funding loss imminent, Amtrak ends ticket sales for ‘Hoosier State,’” Trains News Wire, April 9, 2019.]
