BOSTON—Amtrak had record-breaking ridership on Thanksgiving week, including strong showings on some New England routes.
Amtrak announced Tuesday that it had 685,876 passengers over the holiday travel week, beating the old record of 666,716 set in 2007. Read the full story
Chicago Union Station
CHICAGO – Amtrak says 1.8 million passengers rode its state-supported trains in Illinois in fiscal year 2009, a slight increase from 2008.
The Illinois Department of Transportation supports several Amtrak routes. The most popular are the routes from Chicago to St. Louis and from Chicago to Milwaukee. Read the full story
Via Rail may be forced to cut routes and lay off staff as part of a government cost-cutting exercise, warns a transport watchdog group.
Earlier this year, the Conservative government asked the Crown corporation to identify lower priority and lower performing programs that represent 5% of its parliamentary allocation.
“Via doesn’t have any fat to cut,” said Transportation 2000 Canada’s president David Jeanes. “The only way they have to achieve those types of budget cuts is to completely eliminate or drastically reduce services, for example cutting the number of trains across the country.”
Jeanes is worried declining passenger rates on Via Rail’s western and eastern routes to Gaspe and Halifax will make the regions particularly vulnerable to cuts.
The Canadian Auto Workers’ Bob Chernecki said the union met with Via Rail management three weeks ago and raised the issue with them, but so far it has not been notified of any cuts.
“Absolutely no decisions have been made regarding any effect that this process could have on any part of our operation, let alone the passenger rail network,” said Via Rail’s spokesman Malcolm Andrews. “None would be taken until some time in early 2010.”
Andrews said fewer passengers are riding the railway because of the economic crisis and a drop in tourism.
By ALTHIA RAJ, NATIONAL BUREAU, >>> continue reading
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