A rendering of an Amtrak Airo train set. According to Amtrak, the equipment will debut in 2026 on routes in the northeast. Photo provided by Amtrak.

By Patrick Webb
InkFreeNews

WARSAW —  Two local leaders recently shared their thoughts on the potential benefits of returning passenger service to Kosciusko County.

The Midwest Connect Corridor Plan aims to establish a route from Pittsburg, Pa., to Chicago, Ill., with a potential stop in Warsaw, and is currently being studied.

According to Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Rob Parker, “passenger train travel could be a huge economic benefit in that it would allow for more individuals access to travel and enjoy our vibrant community.”

Parker shared that the Chamber has collaborated with the Northern Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance, based out of Fort Wayne, who have led recent initiatives to restore passenger service.

“Getting people to destinations more easily improves quality of life, quality of place, and is a driver of economic growth and activity,” said Parker.

Parker said the convenience of car travel has meant “more federal dollars are spent on keeping roads safe for our cars instead of subsidizing train travel.”

“With increases in vehicle costs, parking fees, tolls, and gas, more and more people would like the option to take a train where they can easily access an Uber, Lyft or cab to take them to their destination,” said Parker, along with people wanting to live in urban environments versus suburban sprawl.

Parker said that access to transportation historically has had an impact on communities, and “many thriving towns have died when the pony express, canals, trains or roads bypassed their community or are no longer in use.”

“We are the orthopedic capital of the world, and one of the reasons that we are was because we had a train stop,” said Parker.

One benefit to returning passenger service is foot traffic, said Parker.

“Increased foot traffic brings increased revenue opportunities for our businesses,” he said.

“But more than anything, it expands opportunities for our citizens to experience more of our world,” said Parker. “And it casts a larger net on surrounding areas to experience our wonderful community, which is a great place to live, work, play, and learn.”

Parker also said that having a train station in Kosciusko County would attract new people to the area.

“Imagine having a job in the Chicagoland area, but living in Warsaw,” said Parker. “With train travel, it would allow for ‘commuters’ to work on the train on their way to their job and be productive, versus being distracted while driving, without paying the tremendously high taxes associated with living in a large city like Chicago.”

Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose shared that he rode on passenger services provided by Amtrak from Warsaw to Chicago during college in the 1980’s, along with his family, and then girlfriend, now wife.

Grose recalled that he got off at Chicago’s Union Station, then used the Chicago ‘L’ elevated train system, operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, and walked to Evanston to reach his apartment at Northwestern University.

“It was always a little bit longer because of the stops, but the nice thing was that I didn’t have to drive,” said Grose.

Grose said he was in favor of exploring returning passenger service and to learn more about the “pluses and minuses for it.”

Grose recommended that those who wished to see passenger service return should contact state and federal leaders, who he said might have the greatest impact.

“If you think about the railroads and regulating it, I would start with state governments,” said Grose. He also recommended that the public reach out to his office and “any stakeholder and leader.”