Amtrak, the nation's passenger rail system, has been struggling for years for federal funds just to maintain current service, let alone expand.

• WSB's Bob Coxe reports

  WSB's Bob Coxe spoke with Amtrak's Tracy Connell who says ridership has been going up lately. "In March alone, our ridership went up 11.5 percent over March last year."

  Connell says ridership has gone through the roof out of the Chicago area because of all the cancellations at O'Hare Airport. Some of its trains have seen up to a 60 percent boost in riders.

  Atlanta only has one train a day, The Crescent, which runs between New York and New Orleans.