The Montana Department of Transportation reported this week that ridership on Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train that runs along the Hi-Line took a significant hit in 2009.  MDT reports that passengers getting on or off the Empire Builder last year dropped more than 6,000 in the state, from 164,551 in 2008 to 148,019 in 2009.  That is the first drop in the five years covered in MDT’s report.  Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the recession led to loss of travelers nationwide.  “It was certainly the economy in ’09,” Magliari said.  “It affected all travel companies including us.” Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp. in Havre, said the report surprised him.  In economic downturns, public transportation usually does better, and Amtrak is a good value, he said. “I’m surprised the numbers would be taking a hit,” Tuss said.  He said the lack of disposable income many families are experiencing across the country probably led to the decline.  He added that, while the economic crunch may not have been felt as heavily locally, many of the riders on the Empire Builder get on the train in Chicago, Minneapolis, Spokane and other regions of the country.  “It goes without saying that when people are hit in the pocketbook, they do less traveling,” Tuss said.  The number of passengers getting on and off the train dropped from 2008 to 2009 at all 12 stops in Montana.  In Havre the number dropped from 17,674 in 2008 to 16,859 last year.  That is only slightly lower than in 2007, when 16,941 boarded or deboarded.  Magliari said research shows the hit in numbers in 2009 was industry-wide.  “People weren’t traveling as much for business or pleasure or for family reasons,” he said.  “Miles driven were down for that year and so was airline ridership.” Sara Lawlor of the state Department of Commerce said research indicates that people still are traveling to Montana but may be using different options.  “We’ve certainly found that while people continue to travel, they’ve definitely curtailed their spending, and if taking an extended road trip is easier on their wallets than enjoying the ease and relaxation of train travel, they’ll more often opt for the road trip,” Lawlor said.  The ridership on the Empire Builder has a major impact on the state economy.  Lawlor cited a 2003 study that showed the train brought $14 million in economic benefits, and the ridership has increased every year since then except in 2009.  Craig Anderson, owner of Boxcars Casino, said his business has seen the decline.  Boxcars provides chicken dinners to be served at the coach lounges on the Empire Builder from May 15 to Dec. 31, and prepares breakfast year-round for the first class coaches from Spokane to Portland.  While the first-class passengers seem to be steady, there has been a drop in the summer coach numbers, he said.  “The economy has played a big part of it, and I think that’s the reason for the passenger numbers,” Anderson said.  “Things are tight.  People are getting scared.” He said that, while the number of chicken dinners Boxcars prepared this year is down compared to last year, that is misleading due to the record numbers in 2009.  “Last year was a gangbanger because of the gas prices,” Anderson said.  Magliari made similar comments.  Amtrak had a record year in 2008, probably fueled by the high gas prices consumers saw through the summer.  That year, 28.7 million passengers rode Amtrak.  The total in 2009 was down more than a million passengers, with 27.2 riding the trains.  Magliari said the 2009 numbers still are higher than the total in 2007.  “As a company, we were down 5.4 percent from 2008 but up 5.1 percent from 2007,” Magliari said.  As the economy improves, the numbers on the Empire Builder probably will move back up, Tuss said.  “I’m hoping these recent statistics are just a temporary blip going in the wrong direction,” Tuss said.  “When we see the economy pick up, we will probably see more use of Amtrak nationwide.”