Although Amtrak saw an increase in ridership over the Thanksgiving holiday, overall ridership for this fiscal year is down on the Missouri River Runner, according to figures from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Thanksgiving week, there were 4,764 passengers riding the Missouri River Runner trains across the state, compared to 4,379 in 2017, which is a 9 percent increase.
In the first four months of the fiscal year (July-October), 13,327 passengers either arrived at or departed out of the Jefferson City station, compared with 13,949 passengers during the same period in 2017.
For all of Missouri so far this fiscal year, there have been 61,438 passengers on the trains, about 3,500 less than in 2017.
The top four stations by percentage of ridership continue to be Kansas City, St. Louis, Kirkwood and Jefferson City.
Despite fewer passengers, revenue for July-October was $2.085 million, up from $2.066 million in 2017.
MoDOT officials said Amtrak has been running Flash Sales, which offer discounted tickets to try to increase ridership. The Flash Sales correspond with different seasonal events, such as back-to-school for college students and during the holidays in November and December. They offer ticket discounts of 20-30 percent.
Bryan Ross, MoDOT railroad operations manager, said among the factors for the lower number of passengers included low gas prices, allowing people to drive their cars for cheaper costs.
"There was also a lot of track maintenance during the summer," Ross said. "That led to a lot of congestion on the line and that backs up trains. The railroad was busier with work than in previous years."
Union Pacific owns the tracks, and Amtrak shares them. Ross said the work is complete for this year.
This year, River Runner trains are being pulled by two new diesel-electric locomotives. They are preparing to replace their whole fleet of passenger cars on the route, six in all, by 2020 or 2021.
"Once the cars are manufactured, they have to go through six months of testing before going into service," he said.
Officials said some of the current cars have been around since the 1970s. They believe the ride should be improved with new seats and safety measures. The cars also will have lifts, allowing people in wheelchairs easier access.
Ross said MoDOT completed negotiations with Amtrak for the fiscal year 2019, and a contract is being signed. It appears costs will be similar to those for 2018.
Revenue in 2017 was $5.9 million, up from $5.6 million in 2016. There was a 5 percent increase in fares in 2017 and 2018.
The state appropriation for 2018 was $9.1 million, after a $500,000 restriction from former Gov. Eric Greitens. MoDOT's 2019 budget request for Amtrak operations was $15.1 million. Ross said their state fiscal year 2020 budget request is $16.6 million. Since 1979, the sole funding for the two cross-state trains between Kansas City and St. Louis comes from the Legislature and fares.