This month, Amtrak released its annual ridership numbers for FY 2008. The news is good, and, as it should, the release received quite a bit of press coverage. For the fifth year, the MIPRC has also crunched the numbers to provide a ridership picture for the Midwest.

Last year, 17 percent more riders took corridor service trains in the Midwest than the previous year. Over the past five years, ridership on corridor service in the Midwest has risen almost 64 percent. Ridership on long-distance routes that service the Midwest was strong, too - up 9.5 percent overall.

Our report last year admitted that the picture was not completely rosy for the Midwest, as several routes had lost ridership. This year it's all coming up roses - every route within or going through the Midwest gained riders in FY 08. Missouri is a special success - after two years of decreasing ridership, 30 percent more people took the Kansas City-St. Louis service than the previous year.

These ridership facts and numbers (more than 2.6 million people took the train on Midwestern corridor routes alone last year) are a further demonstration that the Midwest will make good use of the federal funding authorized by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act that President Bush signed last week.

We've got a strong case, and it's growing stronger. People are taking the train in the Midwest, and demand is high. Once the federal programs are funded, Midwestern plans should be among the first to receive funding.

For the MIPRC press release on passenger rail ridership in the Midwest, please click here. For an accompanying chart on ridership, please click here.