All aboard
Amtrack tickets more popular for travelers
By MACKENZIE BURGER
Community Editor

Amtrak passengers will notice an increase in riders aboard local trains in upcoming months, with more passengers potentially riding during the holidays.

Nationwide, elevated airfare costs, a result of the steadily rising price of jet fuel, are causing some travelers to consider less costly means of travel, according to the Chicago Tribune. Locally, the Albion Depot is experiencing an increase in business as local passengers forego the price at the pump for an Amtrak ticket, according to Greyhound manager of the Albion Depot, Fran Mawrer.

Passengers have various reasons for riding the Amtrak. Travel by bus or train remains an option with incentive, financial or otherwise, and can be the preferred choice for passengers, residents and students alike.

“It’s because of the whole economy thing right now,” said Thomas Tyszko, a Florida resident, while waiting for his train at the Albion Amtrak station on Sept. 4, referring to the high costs of airfare right now. Before this summer, Tyszko, who was visiting relatives in Albion, had not ridden a train since 1971.

Reflecting this nation-wide trend, the Albion Depot, which provides travel by Amtrak train and Greyhound bus, experienced an increase in traffic throughout the summer months, according to Mawrer.

According to an Amtrak online news release, the company experienced a surge in summer business nationwide, with a 14 percent passenger increase between June and July. This increase is the largest monthly increase that the company has witnessed in over three years.

On a local scale, business is expected to increase further during the holidays. The Albion Depot’s business is a mixture of Albion residents and campus students traveling by rail, said Mawrer. 

For towns in Michigan such as Jackson, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Detroit, fare from Albion can range from $9 to $60 one way, depending on the distance traveled and day of the week.

While some make the choice to ride Amtrak and the Greyhound for the gas money it saves, for others, it is their only option.

“I didn’t have a car, and I just slept the whole way,” said Tyler Hampton, Peoria, Ill., senior.

Despite being an economically viable option, there train does have a tendency to run late, according to Mawrer.

“On the way home, I missed my connecting train in Chicago because the train was very late, said Hampton. “So my parents had to drive to Chicago to pick me up.”