Indiana's Hoosier State service gets 30-day extension

The Amtrak Hoosier State service between Indianapolis and Chicago will get a 30-day extension through the end of April, keeping alive the possibility that the service won't be ended after all.

Earlier this month, Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced the service would end April 1. But the extension announcement follows a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) phone call last week with INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning, during which FRA Acting Administrator Sarah Feinberg committed to reconsider the position that INDOT officials say would cause the Hoosier State service to end.

"It is not clear that the FRA will change its mind," Browning said in a press release. "Because Ms. Feinberg committed to reviewing this, we want to give the FRA another opportunity to consider the problems Indiana has been airing."

INDOT officials earlier had been in the process of negotiating long-term agreements with Amtrak and Iowa Pacific Holdings to provide service on the line. Under the proposed service, Amtrak would serve as the primary operator, working with host railroads, providing train and engine crews, and managing reservation and ticketing. Iowa Pacific would provide the train equipment, train maintenance, on-board services and marketing.