Ridership on Texas Eagle jumps 11%

The lead story in the business section of today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette shows a ridership increase of 11% for the first six months of the year on Amtrak's Texas Eagle service through Arkansas. The ridership growth is impressive, and train officials I've spoken with today expect that July numbers will again show double digit growth. This growth is particularly impressive in view of the terribly adverse operating conditions which now affect this route -- extremely poor timekeeping as a result of freight train congestion. Imagine the possibilities with train service operated in a punctual manner at speeds competitive with or faster than Interstate drive times -- this could be a true alternative travel option for those unwilling to pay $4.00 per gallon.

The most interesting part of the article, though, is the accompanying map. An "alternative" route is shown from St. Louis to Kansas City to Oklahoma City to Texas, bypassing Arkansas. Although no mention of this option is made in the article, this "random" additional route has had train advocates in Arkansas nervous for some time that a lack of constant vigilance and effort will allow states with more money and commitment to rail to allow the route to be restructured around us. That's one more reason that we should explore the feasibility of bring higher speed rail to Arkansas.