ASHWAUBENON, Wis (NBC 26) -- Amtrak has proposed a concept, where over the next 15 years they would upgrade existing routes and build new ones, to provide passenger railroad travel to an estimated 20 million new customers.
"Over 30 million people annually travel on Amtrak, so it is a small but significant portion here in the United States," says Bob Lettenberger the Education Director at the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon.
Lettenberger knows his train history and says if Amtrak moves forward with their plan to offer travel out of Green Bay, Eau Claire, and Madison, it could help to revolutionize the industry.
"Eventually something with our transportation in the US is going to give. We can only build so many lanes onto the interstate, we can only put so many planes into the sky."
Lettenberger says trains can move more people more efficiently, using less fuel, and causing less damage to the environment from pollution, than other modes of travel. He adds that if the industry can make railroad travel more accessible to the masses, and more affordable than other transportation, it could be a major contributor to the future of travel.
"Then rail becomes an equal opportunity. It becomes a viable means for anybody to get on-board."
Expanding Amtrak's rail service to upwards of 160 communities is the current plan. Amtrak representatives say they would also like to create more than 30 new routes and more daily trips across the board. And if that were to come to fruition, Lettenberger says it could level the playing field, as far as affordable transportation opportunities go, for all Americans.
"If I can't afford to have a car and have the ability to travel when I want to, public transportation is going to be the best next alternative for me."
To see Amtrak's vision for growth in the next 15 years, check out their mapped-out proposal here.
