Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Crawfordsville Party, New Trains It Was To Celebrate Are Both Postponed

Stan Jastrzebski
/
WBAA News

Indiana Department of Transportation officials say they don’t know when the Hoosier State Amtrak line will transition to operation by Iowa Pacific, but they do know it won’t be this week.

INDOT and Iowa Pacific officials had been working to make the switch on July first, but contracts between the state, the company and the cities served by the line haven’t been finalized yet.

Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton says each city will still be required to pay to keep the trains running, even though INDOT has agreed to up its contribution to $3 million annually for upkeep of the line.

The cost to the municipalities will be less than it was for the last two years, when local officials took on more financial responsibility for the train.

Barton says the costs will be divided based on ridership, with Crawfordsville paying about 15-percent of the cost assessed to the cities.

That’s estimated to be about $37,000 in the next fiscal year and about $51,000 the year after that, even though Barton says many riders who board in Crawfordsville may not be from the city.

“And we do know that a pretty high percentage come from elsewhere,” Barton says. “Again, you’re trying to figure out do they shop while they’re here, do they dine while they’re here or do they just catch the train and leave? There’s a lot to think about there and we’re still sorting through that.”

A party the city had scheduled for Wednesday to celebrate the new train service has been postponed.

Related Content