Photo: METROA new study, Growth Spurt: The Outlook for Chicago’s Intercity Rail Traffic through 2030, highlights an upswing in travel on state-supported Amtrak trains serving the Windy City, exemplified by many sold-out trains during Labor Day weekend. Traffic in California and New York-Vermont faced extenuating factors that interrupted service, which are expected to be only temporary. Load factors (the percentage of seats filled) in the Chicago Hub are now higher than in other regions and far above the national average. “The recent traffic growth shows that the demand for rail passenger travel in the Chicago Hub is robust,” said Schwieterman. The report, “Growth Spurt: The Outlook for Chicago’s Intercity Rail Traffic through 2030,” from DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, is available here.