[PRCo]

[Fred Schneider]

Mark McGuire asked about patronage increases ... here was an item  
from Progressive Railroading relating to increases in riding in the  
4th Quarter 2005 over 2004.



Progressive Railroading





1/19/2006    Ridership

All modes post third-quarter passenger gains, APTA says

High gas prices helped spur ridership in all transit modes during  
third-quarter 2005, according to a recent American Public  
Transportation Association (APTA) report. Overall, transit ridership  
increased 3.3 percent compared with third-quarter 2004.



Light-rail ridership increased 8.8 percent during the third quarter  
compared with the same 2004 period. Ridership increased significantly  
in several cities, including Minneapolis (up 70.9 percent), Tampa  
(22.1 percent), Los Angeles (15.9 percent), San Diego (15.1 percent)  
and Houston (14.8 percent).



In the commuter-rail realm, ridership rose 4.6 percent. Cities  
registering gains include Chesterton, Ind. (up 10.4 percent),  
Philadelphia (9.9 percent), Harrisburg, Pa. (8.9 percent), San  
Carlos, Calif. (7.9 percent) and Los Angeles (5.7 percent).



Finally, heavy-rail ridership increased 4.3 percent compared with  
third-quarter 2004. Cities posting increases include Cleveland (up  
7.8 percent), Los Angeles (7.7 percent), Philadelphia (7.6 percent),  
Boston (7.3 percent), Washington, D.C. (6.3 percent) and Chicago (6.2  
percent).



Although gas prices dipped in November, ridership didn’t well into  
the fourth quarter, according to a recent APTA survey. Eighty-eight  
percent of transit agencies reported ridership gains in November 2005  
compared with November 2004.