Toledo led the rail passenger increase in Ohio where the demand for passenger rail transportation grew with 14 percent more people riding Amtrak trains in fiscal year 2010.

The biggest ridership gain was in Toledo where 65,667 passengers got on or off Amtrak trains at the historic Union Station, which represented a 21 percent increase over the previous year.

The increase of more than 18,500 passengers in Ohio helped Amtrak set a new annual ridership record of 28.7 million passengers for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Amtrak reported national ridership increased by 37 percent in 2010.

Nearly 147,000 passengers boarded trains in Ohio during fiscal year 2010 compared to 128,174 passengers in 2009. Ridership increased 12 percent in Cleveland to 44,075 passengers in 2010.

Toledo is one of the busiest passenger stops in Ohio, according to a news release for Amtrak.

A significant number of the 65,667 passengers from Toledo traveled to Chicago, an important destination for Amtrak. It offers two trains daily each way between Toledo and Chicago with rates ranging from $35 to $68 for one-way adult coach tickets.

Other passengers boarded eastbound trains from Toledo to New York and Boston for $98 to $196 and to Washington, D.C., from $67 to $131 each way, according to Amtrak.

The Lakeshore Limited Service from Chicago to New York and Boston, with stops in Ohio’s Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland and Alliance, was upgraded with refurbished dining cars within the past year, according to Amtrak.

Amtrak is considering service upgrades to the Capitol Limited Service to Washington, D.C., that would include a new connection to Harrisburg, Pa., and New York for direct service without changing trains in Pittsburgh.

Tags: Amtrak, Trains, Transportation, Wheels

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 30th, 2010 at 6:34 am and is filed under Wheels.
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