By CASSIE SLANA
Reporter

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Local Amtrak scheduling adjustments could lead to an increase in service use.

In a recent University of Central Missouri survey administered by the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission, the information revealed just how many students value and rely on Amtrak usage. Almost 60 percent of UCM students agreed they would be more likely to use the service if Amtrak increased the frequency of departures to and from Warrensburg, according to the survey results.

The local Amtrak service and UCM will use the data collected from the survey to make possible adjustments to the scheduling of Amtrak arrivals and departures in Warrensburg. Changes to the local Amtrak schedule may be made starting next spring.

The goal of the study was to discover the transportation needs of students, faculty and staff at Midwestern institutions located within two miles of an Amtrak station. The MIPRC collected the data from 19,000 participants at a total of 30 institutions across a three- to four-month period. UCM participated in the survey between Nov. 12 and Dec. 23, 2015, collecting 1,101 results from students, faculty and staff.

“We’re formulating the results and trying to make assumptions based on them,” said Sen. David Pearce. “We’re also trying to appeal to university students by having more presence on social media.”

UCM provided the questions to all members of campus through their UCM email accounts. Of the 1,101 participants, 70 percent identified as students, 16 percent as staff and 14 percent as faculty. Of the participants identifying as students, 92 percent of them indicated that they attend class full-time.

Jeff Murphy, assistant director for media relations, said he believes that with minor changes, Amtrak will become a larger part of student life.

“(The results) were certainly enlightening,” Murphy said. “We have a lot of students from the St. Louis area who often talk about using the train as well as a number of international students who use it. I think students who are used to public transportation specifically look for opportunities like Amtrak.

“I think what (Amtrak) wants to do is look at the survey results and find out what kind of information riders have provided and use that information to make the changes to make the service more user-friendly.”

What seemed to weigh most heavily on students is the lack of departure times from the Warrensburg station, according to a news release.

“If there’s a long delay in opportunities to use it, that would certainly affect how many individuals take advantage of the service, because time is important when you’re a student with all of the things that you’re juggling,” Murphy said.

Pearce said state government officials would like to have more trains for commuting to and from campus as well as offering group discounts for those who travel more frequently.

UCM President Chuck Ambrose said student awareness of transportation options, such as Amtrak, is important, according to a university news release.

“This access to college comes in many different forms, and the convenience provided to students by using Amtrak certainly makes UCM more accessible to them to meet their aspirations and dreams,” Ambrose said in the news release.