Company Has Big Plans For Amtrak's Hoosier State Line

Associated Press

The Chicago company that now runs the Amtrak line between Indianapolis and Chicago has big plans for the route.
*AP photo*

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Chicago company that now runs the Amtrak line between Indianapolis and Chicago has big plans for the route.

Iowa Pacific Holdings is in the first year of a contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation and Amtrak. The Hoosier State train route was in danger of going out of business before the deal was reached over the summer.

Iowa Pacific has already has added free Wi-Fi, improved dining options and more than doubled the number of passengers it can accommodate. It hopes to add more trains, and company president Edwin Ellis tells The Indianapolis Star that he envisions trains going between Chicago and Indianapolis 14 times a day.

The trains are still run by Amtrak engineers. Iowa Pacific furnishes and maintains train cars, among other duties.

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