A town meeting concerning the future of passenger rail service in Crawfordsville, and the whole of West Central Indiana, was the topic of discussion Thursday in the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
The meeting, sponsored by the Hoosier Environmental Council, featured Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton and Fritz Plous, director of communications of Corridor Capital LLC. They spoke about the importance of retaining the Hoosier State passenger rail service that runs from Indianapolis to Chicago four days per week and stops in Crawfordsville.
The future of the train is in the hands of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. On Sept. 1 a contract to keep the passenger line between local communities and the state will expire. If funding for the service is not continued at the state and the local levels, the Hoosier State rail line will no longer exist. The potential absence of the rail service concerns Barton and other community leaders along the rail line.
“My perspective is that passenger rail service is very important to a community,” Barton said. “As we continue to move forward and promote economic development, at the end of the day, you have to have the quality of life that attracts people to the community. Mass transit systems are very desirable today.”
A year ago Barton, along with the city council, agreed to help fund the Hoosier State service in an amount calculated on local passenger use. The decision to turn the service into a state funded operation was the result of work done by communities along the line that have train stations serviced by the Hoosier State. Amtrak is the operating entity of the service. Under the old contract, the Indiana Department of Transportation pays half of the approximately $2 million needed annually to keep the service viable. Crawfordsville presently is paying $10,046 per month, which would cease if the passenger service stops.
If a new funding agreement with the state is not reached, the local entities will not be able to pay the total annual costs of operating the line. To further complicate the issue, under the old agreement Indianapolis is paying $25,000 per month for the service. Barton said the capital city has announced it will no longer pay to operate the train service, even though they have the largest share of daily riders.
Plous’ company, Corridor Capital, was recently chosen by Indiana as the state’s developer designate for the Hoosier State. His company will provide the rolling stock, or rail cars and locomotives, if the state decides to continue the service and make the Hoosier State a state owned operation. C.C. also will provide locomotive and car maintenance. C.C. will remain INDOT’s prime contractor for the Hoosier State service and Amtrak will remain as the operator as mandated by federal statute.
“Having a really good passenger rail service is a much bigger deal than most people in Indiana can imagine,” Plous said. “It has potential big payoff in economic development, job growth and new business opportunities.”
Barton is aware the potential loss of the Hoosier State passenger service is more a regional problem than just a local problem. Passengers from Terre Haute, Carmel and other communities in West Central Indiana frequently board the train in Crawfordsville.
Steve Coxhead, president of Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance, also spoke at the meeting. His organization keeps tabs on all passenger rail initiatives in Indiana. He said there are several communities realizing mass transit passenger rail services are important.
“The rest of Indiana is interested in passenger rail service and several independent rail projects are being worked on,” Coxhead said. “Passenger rail service is becoming very big in other parts of the country and Indiana is realizing that fact. You do have to give some credit to Gov. Pence because he has opened the door for passenger service unlike any governor the state has ever had.”