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End of line appears near for Indy-Chicago Amtrak train

Train to cease operation at end of June
Posted at 4:53 PM, May 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-01 18:07:36-04

INDIANAPOLIS — Barring an unlikely eleventh hour reprieve, Amtrak's Hoosier State passenger train between Indianapolis and Chicago will make its last trips on June 30.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said, "there is no reason to believe the service will operate past June 30, its last scheduled day."

The problem is money.

Subsidies from the State of Indiana are needed to fund the train and the latest state budget includes no dollars for the Hoosier State.

Democrats tried to keep the train in the budget, but were voted down by the Republican majority.

The train runs four days a week between Indianapolis and Chicago, with stops including Crawfordsville and Lafayette.

Without the Hoosier State, there will still be some train service on the same route.

Amtrak's Cardinal, operates between New York and Chicago on the three days the Hoosier State does not, stopping in Indianapolis and other towns served by the Hoosier State.

The Cardinal receives federal funding, so for now, it is safe.