AMTRAK REPORTS RECORD RIDERSHIP

Like us, more people are choosing to travel by train. The stats bear it out. For the 2012 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, Amtrak carried more than 31.2 million passengers, the highest annual ridership total since America's Railroad started operations in 1971 and the ninth ridership record during the last ten years. In comparison to 2011, passengers grew 3.5 percent, ticket revenue jumped 6.8 percent ($2.02 billion) and system-wide on-time performance increased to 83 percent, its highest level in 12 years.

"People are riding Amtrak trains in record numbers across the country because there is an undeniable demand to travel by rail," said President and CEO Joe Boardman in their press release. "Ridership will continue to grow because of key investments made by Amtrak and our federal and state partners to improve on-time performance, reliability, capacity and train speeds."

To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Railroad iron is a magician's rod, in its power to evoke the sleeping energies of land and water." -- Gerry