2008 Woodie Awards
Student employees may receive Amtrak discount
House to vote on resolution to discount Amtrak tickets
Barton Lorimor
College students who work part-time could see a smaller fare for their Amtrak tickets.
Students with a part-time job through Federal Work Study would be eligible for a discount on Amtrak train tickets if the resolution is approved by the Illinois House of Representatives. As of Feb. 15, Resolution HR0853, which was unanimously approved by the House State Government Administration Committee, is on the list of other legislative measures requiring a vote.
State Rep. William Davis, D-East Hazel Crest, said a student worker approached him with the idea. Davis, a former SIUC student and train commuter between Carbondale and Chicago, said he could not think of a reason to not pursue the student's suggestion.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, jobs through Federal Work Study provide funds through part-time employment with a public college or university. Students are paid minimum wage, and cannot work more than 29.5 hours per week.
Davis said he did not know how much of a discount the travel board would negotiate with Amtrak.
Marc Maguiari, a spokesman for Amtrak, said he was unfamiliar with Davis' proposal, but said the transportation service would work with the travel board if members of the House approved the resolution.
Davis said the discount would increase the number of riders traveling on the three passenger lines throughout Illinois. Amtrak Illinois operates trains out of Union Station in Chicago to St. Louis, Carbondale, Milwaukee and Quincy. Some of the trains are "Superliners," which include sleeping cars for longer distance travel. Tracks stretching through Carbondale have trains bound for New Orleans from Chicago, for example.
"We're trying to increase riders on these lines," Davis said.
According to figures provided by Maguiari, the number of Amtrak commuters is already on the rise. More than 342,000 passengers stepped onboard an Amtrak train in Illinois between last October and January, which is a 23 percent increase from the same time frame the previous year. Almost 100,000 of those passengers rode the line between Chicago and Carbondale.
The federally funded passenger service recently reached a tentative agreement with 10,000 union workers to a new employment contract after nine years without one. Amtrak officials said they were hesitant to give the employees their demanded salary increase because of the amount of federal tax dollars it receives.
Davis said offering the discount for student employees would increase ridership enough to make up for the money lost from the lower ticket price, as well as increase profits.
"Our objective would be to increase ridership to make up for that revenue," he said.
Daily Egyptian writer Barton Lorimor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 274 or barton.lorimor@siude.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Anthony Johnson
posted 2/26/08 @ 1:34 PM CST
The majority of all students are struggling to make ends meet. This discount does nothing to help the entire student population, and is actually hurting the rest of the residents of Illinois, as well as the students who are not student workers. (Continued…)
Carrie Rogers
posted 2/27/08 @ 1:30 AM CST
As a student worker, I find it hard to complain about a discount for students on federal work study. Not to say that all students don't deserve a discount for riding the train that is essential for some to get back and forth from home, but those who qualify for the work study program are from low income families and could use the extra boost to help save a few dollars. (Continued…)
Jessica Jelen
posted 2/27/08 @ 8:56 AM CST
Before I bought my car I used Amtrak to get to and from home, and it saved me a lot of time and energy trying to find someone to carpool with. If I didn't have a car, I'd be happy about this discount (because I'm a student worker). (Continued…)
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