Indianapolis-Chicago Amtrak service extended to April 1

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Amtrak’s Hoosier State line between Indianapolis and Chicago will keep rolling through April 1 under an extension announced Friday.

Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Will Wingfield says the 60-day agreement allows time for the state to complete negotiations to keep the line running long-term.

The Hoosier State runs four days a week. But funding has been in jeopardy since Congress passed a law requiring states to pick up most of the costs of routes extending less than 750 miles by 2013.

The change affected 19 states. All but Indiana have found funding solutions.

The state and seven partners united to pay Amtrak $2.7 million to keep the Hoosier State line rolling for one year. That deal was extended but was to expire Saturday.