Missouri began the year with an increase in Amtrak ridership, and that trend is continuing.
Missouri Department of Transportation officials said from July through October there was a nearly 5 percent increase in Amtrak riders getting on the twice-daily trains at the Jefferson City station - 13,334 last year compared to 13,949 this year.
For the entire route, there was a 4 percent increase in ridership, from 62,475 last year to 65,018 this year.
"I still think this is partially attributed to gas prices increasing somewhat, but I really think we had good promotions this summer which attracted a lot of attention to the service," MoDOT Railroad Operations Manager Kristi Jamison said. "If people haven't ridden, promotions give them the push to do so, and these did."
For the past few years, there has been a dip in ridership, which MoDOT officials attributed to low gas prices, as well as work to improve tracks for a high-speed rail service to Chicago.
"The good news is that the work on that project is almost done," MoDOT Administrator of Railroads Eric Curtit said. "That's a $2 billion project that has affected our ridership the past few years. Anywhere from 11-30 percent of the traffic we have on the River Runner are passengers making connections in either St. Louis or Kansas City heading for trains on larger lines such as the Texas Eagle or Southwest Chief. So when you have delays like what we've seen in construction of the high-speed rail service in Illinois, that drops the ridership level."
For October, on-time performance was 82 percent and the most current rider satisfaction numbers, taken in August, showed 88 percent of riders were "very satisfied" with their experience on the River Runner trains.
Jamison added they did not expect major track work this winter by Union Pacific, but some probably would take place in the spring and summer.
"While it can impact on-time performance, it increases safety and makes the ride smoother," she said. "It's a little pain for a big gain."
"Currently we have 64 freight trains running on the corridor daily," Curtit added. "That may not sound like much, but is significant."
Some national news reports in October had indicated the federal government could make substantial cuts to Amtrak funding, but Curtit said the River Runner service shouldn't be adversely affected if that occurs.
"Our sole funding for the two cross-state trains comes from the Legislature and fares," Curtit said. "It's the bigger lines that would be affected. Missouri has stepped up since 1979 to fund passenger trains between Kansas City and St. Louis, but it's an annual task. It's key to economic development and important to transportation service.
Last year, Gov. Eric Greitens withheld $500,000 from appropriations for the River Runner service, leaving the final budget at $9.1 million.
Curtit said they are preparing to overturn their whole fleet of passenger cars on the route, six in all, within the next two to four years, and starting this week they will get two new engines to pull the trains.
"Some of the current cars have been around since the 1970s," Curtit said. "The ride should be improved with new seats and safety measures. We'll also have lifts on the cars allowing those in wheelchairs easier access, and we'll also increase the ability to carry bicycles. The River Runner route carries more bicycles than any other train route in the Midwest, combined. That's Missouri, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. The Katy Trail has a lot to do with that."
The holiday season usually means increased ridership, according to Jamison, who said they would be checking their bookings to see if they needed to add cars for more passengers.
"There are also plans for promotions this winter for discounted travel so look for those to come out at the end of this month or early December," she said.
Since only Kansas City and St. Louis have ticket offices, Curtit and Jamison emphasized riders should visit amtrak.com to get tickets.