Amtrak ridership jumped in the days after airplanes were used to attack New York City and Washington. But as passenger fears of aviation fade, will passenger trains remain a popular alternative? Henry Wullf, president of the Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers, says all travel is down a bit right now, but that won’t last.He says for a holiday trip, he’s made reservations and found all Amtrak cars are likely to be full. Wullf says train sleepers are almost sold out already. He says Amtrak’s taken steps to increase security at train stations, with increased police presence. Amtrak requires photo ID now, so a conductor knows the holder of the ticket is the person who bought it. Wullf says while security at a train station doesn’t have to be the same level as an airport, travelers are realizing it’s valuable to have the railroads as a travel alternative.He says airports have been overloaded, and a lot of flights go short distances that could be traveled by train instead. Wullf says he got interested in train ridership issues as a staffer for Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, but says he’ll be retiring soon and wants to spend more time both on the riders’ group and his own collection of model trains, a lifelong passion.
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