WHITEFISH – While most Americans who ride the rails live in more densely populated regions, trains that serve the country’s rural outposts are a crucial part of the national rail system, according to Amtrak’s Vice President of Government Affairs Joe McHugh. He spoke about improving America’s passenger service and its railroad at a meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) in Whitefish on March 17.
The passenger rail advocacy group’s northwest region members held their annual meeting at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Speakers included representatives from Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Montana Department of Transportation.
Many of the people who attended arrived in Whitefish aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train, which runs daily between Chicago and Seattle. Because of the long distance it must travel, the Empire Builder doesn’t make much of a profit, but is still a critical part of the system, according to FRA’s Joseph Szabo.
“Lines like the Empire Builder are cultural gems, but for rural communities trains like that are also their connection to other communities and the outside world,” Szabo said.
The train also provides a boost to the local ecomony, according to Doug McBroom of MDT. According to his numbers, the Empire Builder reduces transportation costs in the state by $4 million annually; reduces highway maintenance spending by $600,000; brings tourists who spend more than $7 million in the state every year; and results in nearly $4 million in direct spending from Amtrak. McBroom concluded: “The economic benefits of Amtrak for a state like Montana are just huge.”
According to McHugh and McBroom, the Empire Builder covers more than 65 percent of its operational costs, the second most of any long-distance Amtrak passenger train. The train has also seen large ridership increases in the last decade, although the economic downturn and a flood, which shut down the line in North Dakota last summer, put a damper on numbers over the last few years.
Expanding service on the long-distance system can be challenging. Unlike in other parts of the country, specifically in the northeast, Amtrak doesn’t own the tracks. In the case of Montana that means sharing the tracks with BNSF Railway, which is seeing a boom in freight traffic thanks to oil drilling in eastern Montana and North Dakota. Because of those extra freight trains, there is the potential for more delays.
Szabo announced that the FRA was going to start reviewing passenger train delays everyday across the country to determine where the biggest problems are. He hopes this will eventually help long-distance trains stay on schedule. But McHugh said making sure the trains run on time is just one issue that needs to be addressed. Ensuring passenger safety and satisfaction are also important objectives.
“From the moment (the passenger) buys a ticket at 1-800-USA-RAIL to when they wave the train good-bye, it’s got to be a good experience,” McHugh said.
NARP Chairman Robert Stewart said the advocacy group’s primary goal is to expand the country’s passenger rail system, with new lines and better service. He said although part of the organization’s focus is on high speed rail service between big cites, trains like the Empire Builder are crucial elements of the system.
“Long distance trains are the glue that holds the national system together,” he said. “We need a system that connects everybody.”
Szabo said that trains were not only one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly forms of public transportation, but also one of the most enjoyable.
“Riding the train here and looking out the window reminded me that flying on a plane or driving on the highway, that’s transportation. But riding the rails is travel,” he said. “That’s how you see the country.”