In Gary, Ind., what it takes to move forward

As the name indicates, Gary Chicago International Airport (GYY) nurses hopes of becoming a reliever passenger airport for the Chicagoland region. In February. the airport got some good news: the promise of a 10-year, $58 million loan program from the FAA.

Why is this such a big deal? As the Northwest Indiana Times reports, the airport

will no longer have to depend on annual congressional funding allocations. Instead, it can move forward with long-term efforts outlined in a 20-year master plan -- including railroad relocation and runway extensions.

One of the biggest hobbles on Amtrak is, of course, its dependence on annual congressional funding allocations. Congress prefers to string Amtrak along one year at a time. Critics like to bash Amtrak for pursuing short-term goals--but if the short term is all Congress gives you, what other terms are there to manage for? If we want an Amtrak planned and managed for the long term, it's time to tell Congress to give it one.

P.S. Note the word "hopes" in the first paragraph. Although several airlines have flown out of GYY in recent years, the airport appears to have no current passenger service.

• Southeast shut down in November 2004
• Pan Am pulled out June 30, 2002
• Hooters Air's last GYY flight was Jan 9 of this year. (UPDATE: Looks like Hooters' last flight, period, will be April 17.)
  

For photos of the airport's two (yes, two) passenger boarding bridges and its baggage claim area (yes, area), click here.