Last year, more than 13,000 passengers came to the Amtrak depot at 418 N. Adams Street to board the California Zephyr, which runs daily on a route from Chicago to San Francisco and back.

That's enough to give the unassuming station its place as the second most heavily used in the state, with thousands more passengers than Ottumwa and nearly twice as many as Burlington. Only Osceola, with nearly 16,000 passengers, can claim more.

"It's pretty impressive, the number of people who've been using Amtrak," said Brian Tapp, executive director of the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission. "It's been up considerably."

Amtrak ridership has risen considerably in recent years, with the six stations in southeast and south-central iowa adding nearly 8,000 passengers from 2004 to 2007, an increase of more than 12 percent. Last year, 62,356 passengers embarked from stations in Mt. Pleasant, Burlington, Ft. Madison, Ottumwa, Osceola and Creston.

And Tapp, along with his counterparts in four other planning commissions and officials in those six cities, intends to make sure the infrastructure keeps pace.

The Iowa Amtrak Community Coalition, which formed in June to promote and improve passenger rail service, with a focus so far on improving the stations. The group has listed more than $8.5 million in desired facility improvements, including $1 million in Mt. Pleasant.

It was formed to coincide with the establishment of the Iowa Department of Transportation's Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, which will hold its first meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, in Ames.

"The impetus for this is compelling, with good timing on both parts," said Tapp. "We're trying to see what can we do."

For more, see our Aug. 6 print edition.