Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is calling for a 36 percent increase in Amtrak funding in order to maintain and increase inter-city rail service.

Bayh cited a 25 percent increase in passengers on some Indiana routes in asking the Senate Appropriations Committee to appropriate $1.8 billion for Amtrak in 2009.

Bayh made a bipartisan appeal to the committee in a letter co-authored with U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. The two asked the committee to increase funding as more people turn to rail transportation because of soaring gasoline prices.

"The benefits of federal investment in intercity passenger rail have never been clearer," Bayh and Smith stated in their letter.

Amtrak operates three routes in Indiana and locally has stops in Dyer and Whiting. It also operates a heavy maintenance facility in Beech Grove, southeast of Indianapolis, where 550 people work.

The town of Dyer has been upgrading the Amtrak stop there. The station parking lot has been restriped, the seats and electrical wiring for the shelter have been replaced, and its doors have been fixed,

Dyer wants ridership to grow so it can become a ticketed stop, meaning that passengers will be able to buy them on-site. At the moment, passengers must buy them ahead of time, either at another location or on-line.

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