Will Hoosier State Line Die Without Indy's Help?

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — City officials in Indianapolis have cast the future of an Amtrak passenger line between Indianapolis and Chicago into doubt after deciding not to provide any additional money to subsidize that line.

Indianapolis leaders had signed onto a one-year deal last year to provide $300,000 for the Hoosier State line, which runs four times a week between Indianapolis and Chicago, with stops along the way.

But Indiana Department of Transportation official Bob Zier said that Indianapolis officials aren't interested in providing any additional money. The city's decision comes after the state announced that a private vendor had been selected to run the line.

Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton said he doesn’t see how the line could continue to run beyond Oct. 1 without more state funding or the city of Indianapolis going back on its pledge to stop giving the $25,000 a month it currently does to keep them operational.

“I think it will die unless one of the two step up,” Barton said. “And we really need the governor to step up. We can talk about the state legislature all we want, but in reality this could be dead and gone before they ever go back to work.”

Indianapolis Department of Public Works spokeswoman Stephanie Wilson said the city might reconsider its decision if that vendor significantly improves service on the line, which is currently the least-used passenger rail route in the country.

Indiana Public Broadcasting's Stan Jastrzebski contributed to this story.