INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A spokesman for Indiana's transportation agency says the state is making progress negotiating a short-term agreement with Amtrak to keep a passenger line between Indianapolis and Chicago running until a comprehensive deal is reached.
 
The Hoosier State line's $3.1 million in annual federal funding ended Tuesday as part of legislation Congress passed in 2008.
 
The four-days-a-week line will grind to a halt if Indiana and Amtrak and the communities it serves can't reach a funding agreement by Oct. 15.
 
Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Will Wingfield said Wednesday the parties' negotiations are “moving forward productively.” He says most of the communities where the Hoosier State makes stops are willing to financially support the line. He says the agency's goal is boosting ridership while minimizing state support for the line.