Faster than a speeding train, number of Amtrak riders soars in Flint

From the Flint Journal

Dennis Jefferson noticed something on his Amtrak trip from Charleston, Miss., to Flint this week: There’s a lot less elbow room and a lot more people on the train than there were just six months ago.

Fueled by higher gas prices and what state transportation officials say is greater awareness, the number of Amtrak riders has exploded on the Blue Water route that runs from Port Huron to Chicago and stops daily in Flint.

The increase in passenger traffic on the route during the last six months — 26.2 percent — is among the highest in the nation, and gains at the Flint station — 34.7 percent — are even higher during that same period.