Do the locomotion

The IDS Editorial Board is firmly on the train train, so we were thrilled to hear Amtrak’s service between Indianapolis and Chicago has been extended for at least another year.

In 2008, the federal government stopped subsidizing Amtrak routes shorter than 750 miles, including the Indy-Chicago route.

This left it up to state and local government to foot the bill for the trains to stay on track.

This year, northern Indiana communities decided the service was important enough to continue funding, but there is no guarantee for next year.

State and local subsidies keep the trains running five days a week, ensuring at least 550 jobs and creating a Midwest regional network.

Both considerations are important for bolstering the anemic Indiana economy.

But Indiana shouldn’t just feebly continue existing services. We should be working hard to expand them.

Trains are a vital form of transportation and an important facet of state infrastructure.

Cars and buses have been shown to expose commuters to more pollutants than rail travel.

Trains also have a smaller carbon footprint than their gas-guzzling counterparts.

More train routes would both create jobs and help workers commute to the jobs they already have.

Stops in small towns could produce an economic boom.

Where there are train stations there are often shops and restaurants to service weary travelers.

But Indiana can’t conduct a train revolution all on its own.

The federal government needs to lead the way.

It’s embarrassing that the U.S. hasn’t harnessed high-speed rail in any meaningful capacity.

Doing so would reduce our dependence on oil, assuage our environmental woes and help connect a country that has become increasingly disparate in recent years.

Ending subsidies for train routes less than 750 miles is a step in the wrong direction.

If we can’t send a clear message that trains are here to stay, their demise will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Hesitant to become reliant on routes that may not be there next year, Hoosiers in transit will increasingly use other forms of transport.

With fewer passengers, progress in building up train infrastructure could be permanently derailed.

This is upsetting because we want more people to choo-choose choo-choos for their next trip.

Only 3,100 people ride the Indy-Chicago route each month, meaning most Hoosiers have probably never ridden on a train — at least with any frequency.

Besides the Amtrak route, there is only one other train service in Indiana.

For anyone who hasn’t ridden a train, you are missing out.

Trains might be slower. They might be more expensive.

But members of the Editorial Board can attest that trips on Amtrak, and trains
generally, were some of the best we’ve ever had.

Commuters don’t have to keep their hands at 10 and 2 with their eyes on the road.

Trains leave them free to read a book, play a video game or chat up their
neighbor.

For lengthier trips, passengers don’t have to worry about getting felt up by the TSA or yelled at by exhausted airport officials.

Think of all the cornfields you could study as your train cruises across the scenic Indiana countryside.

Indiana needs to train-sition to a train-friendly state.

We think we can, we think we can, we think we can fund more trains.

­— opinion@idsnews.com
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