Gough: Issues with planes and trains could lead to use of more automobiles out of Quincy

I had to choose my mode of transportation to attend a journalism conference in Chicago last week.

I hate driving to and in Chicago, and I have always enjoyed taking the train. When I used to take it regularly for work, it was relatively reliable.

I love flying, but when heading to a conference downtown, flying into O’Hare and then paying for an Uber seems a bit silly — especially when you’re already Ubering around while up there.

So I opted for Amtrak. It was smooth up and back, except for the construction at Union Station, which makes it a bit of a maze.

I’m just glad I came back Friday night and not Sunday night.

Amtrak passengers riding the evening Illinois Zephyr from Chicago to Quincy arrived back to the Gem City at around 4 a.m. Monday instead of the usual 10:30 p.m.-ish time frame. A statement on Amtrak’s website said an unauthorized trespasser came into contact with what they described as “railway equipment,” and the train was stopped near Princeton for an extended period.

That doesn’t seem to be Amtrak’s fault. When the weather is nice, it’s reliable. But in the winter when the track freezes, flip a coin.

Southern Airways’ reliability also has been in the news as of late. Quincy Mayor Mike Troup wants improved service at the airline, which is on a pace to have about 4,000 passengers fly through Quincy this year. Quincy Regional needs 10,000 enplanements annually to qualify for millions in federal subsidies.

Southern is a commuter airline that flies from Quincy to St. Louis Lambert and Chicago O’Hare. Troup has officially asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to let the city break its contract with Southern and find a new airline for its federal Essential Air Service designation.

Southern responded to the city’s action last week.

“Southern fully intends on not only serving the remainder of our current contract but also garnering the support of the local community as airline proposals are reviewed for the contract period beginning November 30, 2026,” Southern Airways Chief of Staff Keith Sisson wrote in a Sept. 4 letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“To this end, we respectfully ask the Department to allow the improvements and investment that Southern is making in the marketplace time to be realized. Therefore, we respectfully object to Quincy’s request to terminate the contract prematurely, and we implore the department to resist the urge to comply, as such drastic action would lead to a globally unsustainable (and damaging) precedent for the EAS program and the airlines which serve its needs.”

How feasible is it to continue the St. Louis flights, especially when it is pretty affordable to drive and park at Lambert? I understand wanting to keep the Chicago connection for those who want to get there faster than it takes on the roughly 4.5-hour train ride.

Several local companies have private planes and utilize Baldwin Field. A fair amount of business travel is done commercially out of Quincy.

Hannibal is trying to attract its own Amtrak service to St. Louis. If it could be linked with Quincy, that might be another travel option. Someday you might just drive to Hannibal to take the train to St. Louis along the Mighty Mississippi.

Of course, we have already suggested bus service as an option.

Southern came in to replace Cape Air, which begged out of its EAS contract and was less reliable than Southern. Southern says it wants to continue to maintain its service.

If Quincy has any shot at retaining commercial service, perhaps the city and the airline can work together to come up with a solution — even if it means the airline focusing on Chicago as the only airport option.

J. Robert Gough is the publisher/general manager of Muddy River News.