Culver touts expanded passenger rail in Iowa

OTTUMWA – Southern Iowans applauded Gov. Chet Culver's call Wednesday for expanded passenger rail service, but worried that new northern routes in the state could hurt ridership on Amtrak's only route currently operating in Iowa.

“I'd be lying to you if I didn't say that was something of great concern,” said Ottumwa Mayor Gordon Aistorpe, one of many Iowans who participated in Culver's fourth whistle-stop tour to promote train travel. “We'll just have to wait and see what the plans are.”

Culver rolled into a lunch-hour stop for a potluck in Ottumwa aboard a special Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad excursion of one engine and three passenger cars loaded with state transportation officials, advocates for rail investment, and community leaders. The Iowa Unlimited also made stops in Creston, Osceola, Chariton, Albia, Fairfield, Mount Pleasant and Burlington.

“We need to give Iowans and Americans more cost-effective options when it comes to transportation,” said Culver, speaking from the rear of the parked train to a crowd that had thinned somewhat because the Iowa Unlimited arrived behind schedule.

The governor made an appeal for $46 million in federal aid to support three passenger rail applications for Iowa under the government economic stimulus package and touted a $3 million state I-JOBS investment that is part of a public-private effort to upgrade tracks, infrastructure and other improvements to make passenger rail more efficient and reliable.

“Right now because of the infrastructure issues it's not the most efficient and it frequently is delayed,” the governor said.

Culver said Iowa is a leader in Obama administration to expand passenger rail service nationwide, with near-term plans to provide passenger rail from Chicago to Dubuque and from Chicago to the Quad Cities and Iowa City, and possibly on to Des Moines and Omaha in the future.

The governor said a round-trip train trip from Iowa City to Chicago costing $40 would be enticing for Iowans who pay up to $600 to travel by airplane and could avoid congestion and other headaches associated with other transportation modes.

Derrick James, an Amtrak government affairs official who was aboard Wednesday's rail excursion, said the governor's $40 round-trip quote might be “on the low end” during off-peak travel periods but he called it “in the ball park” based on projections contained in a 2008 feasibility study.

James also said there should not be concern among communities currently served by Amtrak's southern route through Iowa that additional passenger routes might jeopardize their service in the future.

“Amtrak is totally committed to this route,” he said. “There is no plan whatsoever to relocate any service from the southern Iowa route. We get so much support from these communities we'd actually like to add more service to the route.”