Even as the Midwest continues work on preparing a high-speed rail network, Amtrak is proposing to discontinue service between Chicago and Indianapolis because of federal penny-pinching.
The value of passenger rail service should not be discounted. Richard Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, put this in perspective at a Sept. 13 transportation summit in Gary.
Building the high-speed rail network in the Midwest by 2030 would mean a $13 billion increase in economic activity in the Chicago area, Harnish said. And time is of the essence.
"Japan has now a 48-year lead on us, France has a 20-year lead on us, and China spent the last five years catching up and surpassing them," Harnish said.
And now with the Porter Junction choke point ready to be dealt with — the necessary railroad agreements have been reached — the construction can move forward.
At the same time, however, Amtrak is talking about ending the Hoosier State service between Chicago and Indianapolis, four days a week, absent a state subsidy.
That would leave Dyer and Rensselaer passengers stranded four days a week. The Cardinal, a long-distance run, would serve those communities three days a week.
A new rule prevents Amtrak from using its federal operating grant for routes as short as the Hoosier State. That's short-sighted.
Funding for Amtrak service has been spotty and uncertain over the years. That needs to end.
We agree the nation needs to reduce spending, but infrastructure is a key government function. Infrastructure investments, from canals to railroads to bridges to roads to airports, made the expansion of the United States possible.
That transportation infrastructure must continue to be a priority, which means not just building new routes but also maintaining the ones we already have.