Hoosier State tentatively scheduled to end October 1, 2013. This isn't the first time the HS has been on the chopping block.
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http://www.jconline.com/article/20120920/NEWS02/309200038/amtrak-lafayette-chicago?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&gcheck=1&nclick_check=1Amtrak service from Lafayette to Chicago may be reduced
Sep. 20
Lafayette may lose daily passenger railroad service next year.
Amtrak confirms plans to end the Hoosier State route, effective Oct. 1, 2013.
“It is very likely there could no longer be daily service in Lafayette,” said Marc Magliari with the Amtrak media relations office in Chicago.
Nearly 27,000 people got on and off the Hoosier State and the Cardinal passenger trains in Lafayette last year.
The Cardinal would continue to serve Lafayette three mornings and three nights a week on its route between Chicago and New York.
Residents would lose four days and four nights of rail service when the Hoosier State stops in Lafayette during its run between Indianapolis and Chicago.
“It’s vital,” said Joe Krause, a community volunteer who helps passengers on and off the trains stopping in Lafayette. “The people who ride the train to Chicago or Indianapolis have no other means of travel.”
Funding for the Hoosier State is the heart of the dispute between Amtrak, state administrators and the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Amtrak maintains that states are responsible for fully funding routes shorter than 750 miles and that the funding methodology was established by Congress in 2008.
Indiana leaders disagree.
“Our understanding is that the methodology was a discussion and was not a commitment to subsidize the Hoosier State,” said Will Wingfield, INDOT spokesman.
“There was no money provided along with the federal mandate. It is still not entirely known what Amtrak is requesting of Indiana.”
Magliari said, “Communications with Indiana and other states are in the public record in our 2011 Surface Transportation Board filing, including Section 209’s effect on the Hoosier State service and the funding methodology.”
In March, the federal Surface Transportation Board rendered a decision about the cost methodology and stated, “Affected states, other than Indiana, have adopted the methodology.”
The board’s report also stated, “According to Amtrak, Indiana declined to accept the consensus methodology but did not provide a reason for its decision or offer an alternative. Rather, in an email sent to Amtrak on November 17, 2011, the Indiana Department of Transportation ... stated that the governor’s office and INDOT ‘have decided to not sign [Amtrak’s] request’ to accept the proposed methodology.”
“The state doesn’t pay anything until it has an invoice,” Wingfield said. “The amount is still not known.”
The two routes combined allow passengers to ride to Chicago in the morning and return the same night.
“On Saturday the passengers are going shopping in Chicago, taking their daughters to the American Girl store, going to see the Cubs, the Bears, going home to Dyer or Gary,” Krause said.
“One man commutes to work in Chicago every Monday morning and returns home to Lafayette on Friday night. More than 100 people board on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.”
'A step backwards'
The trains are more than a convenience for passengers. Rail service is an economic development tool for Lafayette and West Lafayette.
“An additional transportation option for our community has a positive impact,” Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said.
“Access to transportation and to major metropolitan areas is a strong consideration for businesses considering locating here,” West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis said. “West Lafayette’s international population relies on passenger rail service to and from transportation hubs in Chicago.”
Dennis said he needs more information to understand the logic behind the potential loss of the Hoosier State.
Roswarski said, “I hate to see us take a step backwards when we need to work toward high-speed rail service and connectivity with other states. Many of our highways are at capacity, and we need to look at ways to expand transportation of goods and services.”
Roswarski and state Reps. Randy Truitt and Sheila Klinker said they expect the community will take a unified message to state leaders.
“Time is of the essence,” Truitt said. “We need to communicate quickly with INDOT before it prioritizes its federal funds.”
“We’re going to have to get busy and call our congressmen. This is not a good thing. It is very important to continue passenger rail service,” Klinker said.
A statement of support for rail service already is included in the Tippecanoe County transportation plan.
“Daily Amtrak passenger rail service greatly benefits the community, and local support needs to continue,” said Sallie Fahey, Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission executive director.
Krause, a former West Lafayette councilman and retired high school teacher, said, “I’ve got my next project. We need to get a critical mass of people writing letters and fighting against the anti-train, pro-auto attitude of INDOT and the executive branch.”
