BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Supporters of Amtrak’s Hoosier State will hold a rally today at Amtrak’s Beech Grove shops in a final effort to save the Indianapolis-Chicago train.
Supporters are scheduled to gather and speak with elected officials about 2 p.m., arguing for the importance of continuing the four-day-a-week train, according to WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Ind.
Gov. Eric Holcomb did not include $3 million in annual state funding in his budget for the next two fiscal years, and the state Senate and House of Representatives declined to add the funding, with the Senate refusing to hear an amendment from State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) to add the money. [See “Indiana Senate shuns amendment to fund ‘Hoosier State,’” Trains News Wire, April 17, 2019.]
Alting indicated that the rally was probably coming too late, telling WLFI that the final budget was likely to be printed by noon today.
Without the state funding, Hoosier State operations will cease at the end of June.
