There is heightened rail passenger service in our future. We are convinced of that. It's just a matter of giving it a higher priority.
The reason we once again will use rail in a bigger way to move people is because the nature of our other transportation options are beset with problems that can't be easily solved. We can't keep building new highways and bridges because of the cost, including obtaining rights of way with the increase in appreciation of property. We don't know when the airlines will be at a normal state again--if ever. People are growing tired of the airport hassle--needed because of the terrorist threat--and the uncertainty of coming and going by air, with flights cancelled, being bumped, weather problems and smaller planes with less comfort. Buses, except for charter runs, are fewer and the extension and connection for service is limited.
That's why rail has a future and why we are going to have to give it a higher priority in moving people. The vehicle congestion in metro areas with outdated roads and bridges, the increase in cars and trucks, adds up to congestion. For instance, the time it takes to drive to points in the Washington, D. C., area keeps getting longer and people who can use the light rail system. The same is true in most metro areas. Light rail has helped but it takes so long to put in and expand a system, plus the cost, that it isn't what it should be. Look at the light rail system in St. Louis city and county, it's being expanded but the time it takes is discouraging. If it had been given a higher priority earlier, light rail wouldn't have been so slow in developoing.
Expanding and improving Amtrak service in Missouri is not a high priority. The state is appropriating $6.2 million a year to subsidize the operation. Compared to other spending in the $19 billion budget, this is not a lot of money.
It's going to take more than just money to expand Amtrak in the state. Amtrak rents rail space from Union Pacific Railroad, which has as its top priority movement of freight because that's where the money comes from to please the stockholders. The railroad needs to be a partner with Amtrak rather than being just a raillord.
The people of the state who live along the Amtrak line have a direct benefit. The other people of Missouri would benefit if more people used Amtrak because it would take some traffic off the roads. The traffic relief is minor now, but with the Amtrak passenger total perhaps as high as 400,000 persons a year (when service from St. Louis to Chicago is considered), it is a factor in slowing the growth of highway congestion.
Until rail passenger service is given a higher priority, we will keep limping along with limited service. When the General Assembly's Interim Committee on Multimodal Transportation Services met in Washington earlier in the week, there appeared to be agreement that what is needed is vision--a rail plan for the next 10 to 20 years, or longer. A good plan could boost the priority of rail passenger service. Until that happens, we aren't going to see much progress. The legislature needs to fund a study leading to a plan.
