Our Opinion: Now's a good time to take that nostalgic Amtrak trip

With gas prices on the upswing and the holidays approaching, it may be a good time to consider taking an Amtrak train ride.

More people apparently are thinking the same thing lately. A trend of increased ridership 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.

That reverses a trend over the past few years. That previous dip was blamed on low gas prices and work to improve the tracks for a high-speed rail service to Chicago.

That $2 billion project is almost finished.

Despite that huge investment, Amtrak's future isn't assured. Federal and state governments have pumped many more billions into the transportation mode over the years, and many say enough is enough. The payoff to taxpayers has been minimal at best critics say - even though no mode of public transportation breaks even.

Early this year, Gov. Eric Greitens cut $500,000 of the state's funding for Amtrak. In July, President Donald Trump proposed $630 million in Amtrak cuts. Amtrak gets about $1.4 billion a year from the federal government.

Meanwhile, Amtrak - while not coming close to breaking even, much less making a profit - has been doing what it can to boost ridership, including offering various incentives.

For October, on-time performance was 82 percent. Close to half of the delays were due to Union Pacific train interference. 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.

So consider taking your family to St. Louis, Kansas City or some of the stops in between. It's a less stressful, more scenic way to get there. It's a nostalgic piece of Americana that might not be around if you wait too long.

News Tribune