|
The ''Hoosier State'' is an Amtrak passenger train that provides service on a 196-mile (315 km) route from Chicago to Indianapolis. It runs on the four days each week that the ''Cardinal'' does not run (departs Chicago Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; departs Indianapolis Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday). This gives the Chicago-to-Indianapolis market daily rail service. The Iowa Pacific Railway furnishes rolling stock and on-board service personnel. Operation of the train is subsidized by Indiana. During fiscal year (FY) 2011, the ''Hoosier State'' carried approximately 37,000 passengers, a 10.9% increase over FY2010. During FY2011, the train had a total revenue of $836,057, an increase of 5% over FY2010.〔 ==History== Prior to Amtrak, the Chicago-Indianapolis market was served by several daily trains, the Pennsylvania Railroad's ''South Wind'' and ''Kentuckian'', and the New York Central's ''James Whitcomb Riley'', ''Indianapolis Special'', and ''Sycamore''. With the creation of Amtrak, riders between the Hoosier State's capital and the Windy City were served by the ''South Wind'' and the ''George Washington/James Whitcomb Riley''. However, with Penn Central's financial instability, track maintenance was rare, and Amtrak shifted both trains to other routes through Indiana, leaving Indianapolis to be served by the ''National Limited'', which ran between New York and Kansas City. The ''National Limited's'' discontinuance in 1979 severed Indianapolis from the national rail network, and isolated Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops in the Indianapolis suburb of Beech Grove. The passenger carrier had been using the ''National Limited'' to ferry railroad cars to and from its shops; it was forced to run special trains to Indianapolis instead.〔 The ''Hoosier State'' entered service on October 1, 1980. On April 27, 1986, the ''Cardinal'' was rerouted to use the same tracks as the ''Hoosier State'' between Chicago and Indianapolis, and began running on days the ''Cardinal'' did not operate. The ''Hoosier State'' was restored to daily operation on a separate schedule from the ''Cardinal'' on October 25, 1987. But funding cuts led to its discontinuance on September 8, 1995 while the ''Cardinal'' continued tri-weekly operation between Chicago, Indianapolis and the East Coast. Amtrak restored the ''Hoosier State'' on July 19, 1998, as a tri-, later quad-weekly train. From December 17, 1999, to July 4, 2003, the ''Hoosier State'' was extended south from Indianapolis to Louisville, Kentucky, and renamed the ''Kentucky Cardinal''. After the discontinuance of the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' the ''Hoosier State'' returned to operating four days a week in tandem with the ''Cardinal''. On October 16, 2008, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) was signed into law which required the operating and capital costs of providing intercity rail passenger service on Amtrak routes of not more than 750 miles, be born by the affected state or states within five years. At a length of , the ''Hoosier State'' is one of the routes affected by this provision of PRIIA. The State of Indiana became responsible for funding the ''Hoosier State'' beginning on October 1, 2013. Faced with termination of a service that would have left Chicago to Indianapolis with tri-weekly train service, state and local officials arrived at a deal to share the annual cost of the service, becoming the last state in the nation to arrive at a deal to save its short-distance train line on October 15, 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.in.gov/activecalendar/EventList.aspx?view=EventDetails&eventidn=135834&information_id=189363&type=&syndicate=syndicate )〕 Indiana sought alternatives to Amtrak operation and on June 24, 2014 selected Corridor Capitol, a Chicago-based rail passenger services development company, as its preferred vendor to manage and operate the service. Planning was underway for the company to take over the service as early as October 1, 2014, however Corridor Capitol did not meet that deadline and Indiana DOT discontinued negotiations with the company in November 2014. Amtrak continued to operate the train service under short-term contract extensions while the state considers alternative vendors. On March 6, 2015, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced that the ''Hoosier State'' would discontinue service on April 1, 2015. The decision was made due to regulations of the Federal Railroad Administration that would require the state of Indiana to act as a rail carrier, despite the state owning no tracks or trains; that requirement would, according to INDOT, increase the cost to Indiana taxpayers for no additional benefit. After Indiana appealed to the FRA, the train's operation was extended to April 30. Amtrak continued to operate the ''Hoosier State'' under a short-term agreement while negotiations continued.〔http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-amtrak-chicago-indianapolis-20150406-story.html〕 On August 2, 2015, the ''Hoosier State'' began running with Iowa Pacific equipment and on-board service personnel. The train is operated by Amtrak personnel and Amtrak provides ticketing.〔 〕 Both companies are under contract to the INDOT. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hoosier State (train)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|