Macomb, IL – Amtrak seems to be benefiting from the ever-rising price of gas.
Amtrak Board of Directors Member, Tom Carper, says there has been an increase in ridership over the past few months and it is obvious some of that is due to the increase in cost to use other means of transportation. But he says it's not known how much can be attributed to the price of gas.
Carper says people are moving towards taking the train because it is difficult to fly and gas prices are causing people to go to other forms of transportation.
Ridership on the Quincy-to-Chicago Corridor has increased 21% between October of last year and April of this year. Carper says that shows what a good job Illinois is doing and what expanded service means in terms of growing ridership.
Additional Information:
*Carper says the three downstate Illinois routes are the top three growth routes in all of Amtrak's Corridor system.