Passenger rail ridership on state-supported and other shorter distance corridors (less than 750 miles) in the Midwest continues to thrive. Ridership on these nine routes grew by 5.4 percent in FY 2011, and exceeded the 2.9 million mark. Over the past five years, corridor ridership in the Midwest has grown by 54 percent. Nationwide, Amtrak experienced an all-time ridership record of 30.2 million passengers for the fiscal year, which ended September 30.

Michigan’s Blue Water service between Chicago and Port Huron experienced the region's largest ridership increase, up 18.6 percent, while ridership increases on Illinois’ Illini/Saluki service between Chicago and Carbondale followed close behind, at 18.2 percent.

Today, U.S. Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Illinois and California (as the lead states) have reached cooperative agreements with the Federal Railroad Administration to begin a multi-state procurement of passenger rail equipment for corridors in California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon and Washington State.

For the Midwest, this HSIPR program funding obligation is $ 268,201,084, and encompasses the purchase of 48 passenger rail cars and 7 locomotives for 8 corridors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri. The award was announced in May, and the states and FRA have been working diligently to secure the agreements necessary to obligate the funding.

Midwestern states have received awards of more than $2.5 billion to date from the federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program. The attached updated chart reflects awards announced May 9, as well as redistributed funding from previous award announcements.

Midwestern states have submitted 27 applications with a total ask of about $2.2 billion in federal funding consideration under the FRA's March 11 Notice of Funding Availiability (NOFA). The deadline for submission was April 4.

The largest application is a four-state collective procurement request, which if funded will bring modern locomotives and trainsets to 8 routes in the region.

Midwestern state DOTs did a monumental job in completing applications for projects/plans that will purchase modern equipment, renovate and build new stations, improve and lay new track, and plan for future improvements.

Laura Kliewer, MIPRC's director, attended and submitted testimony to the US House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing on Feb. 20 in DuPage County, Illinois. The hearing was part of the committee's listening tour on surface transportation reauthorization. Kliewer asked that Congress include passenger rail development as a key component to any reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program.

We have posted an updated list of MIPRC's advocacy positions; these points have been communicated to Members of Congress and other federal officials in recent months.

Travelers across the Midwest are taking the train in record numbers, according to FY 2010 ridership and revenue numbers released by Amtrak this month. Almost 2.8 million people took the train on short-distance corridor service within the region last year – an 8 percent increase over FY 2009.

Today Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson signed HB 2552 into law, which enacts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact in that state. Kansas is the 11th state to join the MIPRC.

According to a summary list and fact sheets posted on the White House web site late last night, each Midwestern state that applied for a portion of the $8 billion stimulus funding available through the High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program has received funding for one or more project. In total, the Midwest will receive funding over $2.6 billion.

The Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC) issued a press release on October 7 reporting that Midwestern states submitted a total of $11.6 billion in applications for the funding that was provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) for passenger rail capital development. The release also provided detailed comparative information on the Midwestern states' applications.

Yesterday President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary LaHood released the strategic plan for allocating the $8 billion in passenger rail funding provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The plan also gives insight into the process for project funding going forward (with a planned $1 billion investment per year over five years).

MIPRC commissioners and allies across the region held press conferences and issued press releases on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30, calling on Congress and the Obama administration to include substantive funding for passenger rail in the federal stimulus package currently being debated in Congress.

This month, Amtrak released its annual ridership numbers for FY 2008. The news is good, and, as it should, the release received quite a bit of press coverage. For the fifth year, the MIPRC has also crunched the numbers to provide a ridership picture for the Midwest.

For the MIPRC press release, please click here.  For Amtrak ridership figures for 2004 through 2008, please click here.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced its first grant funding to states for intercity passenger rail development and planning. The Midwest won big, receiving almost half of the funding; five of the 11 states to receive funding are Midwestern states. Altogether, the five states (Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin) received funding for seven projects, totaling over $13 million of the $30 million awarded.

In late July, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Train CARS (Creating American Rolling Stock) Act of 2008 (S. 3360). The bill would create jobs and help Amtrak meet the increasing demand for an efficient, cost-effective and reliable alternative mode of travel. Durbin’s bill aims to promote the replacement and rehabilitation of Amtrak’s aging fleet of passenger cars and to revive the train car industry in the United States. The MIPRC has signed on as a supporter of the bill.

During its June visits with Members of Congress, the MIPRC highlighted the urgent need for increased federal funding for passenger rail train overhauling and the purchase of new equipment (see MIPRC press release). As ridership has exploded across the country, Amtrak is having trouble keeping up with demand because of the lack of passenger rail train cars and equipment.

Delegates of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission met with members of Congress on June 18 to express support of the substantive passenger rail legislation passed by both chambers and to encourage policies and funding to increase passenger rail service.

Both H.R. 6003 and S. 294 would reauthorize Amtrak and provide for the first multi-year federal program to provide funding for passenger rail improvements and equipment investments.

Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar, chair of the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, unveiled legislation on May 8 that will infuse substantive funding and needed policy changes into the development of passenger rail infrastructure.  The measure is co-sponsored by more than 30 other members of the committee, including Ranking Member John Mica, Rail Subcommittee Chair Corrine Brown and Subcommittee Ranking Member Bill Shuster.

The MIPRC has launched its new website to better serve our commissioners and member states. Highlights of the site include: maps of existing and proposed rail systems in the region; information about the work of the MIPRC; and, access to a broad range of passenger rail news and information. We hope you find the site easy to navigate and we welcome your feedback.

The Federal Register published the criteria for applying for the Capital Assistance to States Intercity Passenger Rail Service Program, the first capital assistance grant program for intercity passenger rail projects (funded at $30 million for the current fiscal year). Applications can be submitted as soon as March 18, and will be accepted through September 30, 2009 "or the date on which all available funds will have been committed under this program."  

News from the Director: Transportation for Tomorrow: Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released in January. 

News from the Director:  The Kansas Legislature is considering joining the MIPRC.  Missouri Rep. Schlottach, MIPRC Chair, and Laura Kliewer, MIPRC Director, had the privilege of testifying before the Kansas Special Committee on Transportation.