Birmingham, AL – A report from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows about 700,000 people in rural Alabama communities lost access to intercity transit service in the last five years, the steepest drop in the country.
The report shows that nationally, 3.5 million rural residents lost access to air, bus, ferry or rail transportation between 2005 and 2010.
The report says Alabama's decrease stemmed from the loss of Amtrak stations in Atmore and Mobile that closed after Hurricane Katrina, and the closing of 56 bus facilities statewide, at least 33 of which were Greyhound stations.
In the Black Belt, Alabama's poorest region, bus service in several cities, including Eutaw and Livingston, was eliminated.
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