City addresses Amtrak issues

SANDUSKY — A small change recently made aims to provide a big safety upgrade to the area's only Amtrak station. Not too long ago, people on social media expressed two major concerns with the passenger train station on North Depot Street in Sandusky. Issues revolved around: • A lack of staffing provided by Amtrak "The Amtrak station used to have two men appear up by the platform for arrival and departures," according to one local woman's posting. "Now it's apparently unstaffed, and Amtrak states it's the municipalities who are responsible for the unstaffed stations." It's not clear if the woman referred to Amtrak workers or city officials standing at the station. • Bad lighting, especially when trains arrive and depart when it's still dark out "Last summer, there was one lone light bulb with low wattage. That was it." the same woman posted. "Now, in an Amtrak group (online), someone posted there are no lights on the platform. She said it was unsafe, and, from my personal experience, it is unsafe." Overall, "There is definitely a safety issue, and we want to address who is responsible for care and upkeep," the woman wrote. "I'm rambling, but I think I'm justifiably upset." The Register forwarded this statement to city officials, who immediately remedied the lighting situation. Regarding the staffing issue, city officials also addressed this problem. "The main cities, like Toledo and Cleveland, are staffed. The smaller stations, like Sandusky and many others, are not staffed," said city manager John Orzech, noting nobody works specifically at the train station. But public safety remains a top priority for officials, including at the train station. "The lighting improvements at the Amtrak station provide a well-lit waiting area along with ingress and egress on the train. I appreciate the citizen bringing forth (her) concerns and the quick response from staff to resolve the issue," Orzech said. "The police department has been opening the doors to the (inside portion of the) station, when called upon, since the late 1990s." Most people riding the passenger train at Sandusky's Amtrak station take one of two routes: • The Lake Shore Limited train, which runs from Chicago to New York City. On this line, it stops in Sandusky at about 4:07 a.m. when it is eastbound and at about 5:13 a.m. when it is westbound. • The Capitol Limited train, which runs from Chicago to Washington, D.C. On this line, it stoops in Sandusky at about 12:40 a.m. when it is going southeastbound and at about 4:02 a.m. when it is westbound. In 2023, Amtrak accommodated more than 8,300 trips in Sandusky, fourth most in Ohio trailing only Toledo at 53,200, Cleveland at 48,800 and Elyria at 8,800.