Record Number Board Amtrak Trains in Iowa

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Nov 29, 2009 at 10:44 AM CST

Story Updated: Nov 29, 2009 at 10:44 AM CST

DES MOINES (AP) - Amtrak ridership in Iowa broke a record this year, with more than 66,000 passengers getting on and off trains at Iowa stations during the federal budget year that ended Sept. 30.

That was a 3 percent increase, or about 2,000 more passengers compared with a year earlier. Officials say it was the most in Iowa since Congress created Amtrak in 1971.

Airline passenger counts at the Des Moines airport were down 8.2 percent from January through October compared with the same period last year. The volume of highway miles traveled in Iowa was up 1.2 percent for the first 10 months of 2009. Amtrak operates two daily trains that pass through southern Iowa.

Proposals are pending for Chicago-to-Dubuque service, and a Chicago-to-Iowa City train stopping in the Quad Cities.

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