Opinion ID: 1829127
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Territory Served

Text: The 264 mile route of passenger trains 19 and 20 traverses eleven Alabama counties, namely, Jefferson, Shelby, Bibb, Chilton, Autauga, Dallas, Marengo, Wilcox, Clarke, Washington, and Mobile, and, as already stated, serves 78 stations or stops. In general, with the exception of the Jefferson and Mobile County areas, the region is primarily agricultural, but the evidence tends to show that there is a steady increase of industrialization in this section. There is some testimony in the record obviously aimed at indicating a need for continuing passenger service in order to further such industrial progress. However, such evidence is largely indirect, inconclusive, and lacking in persuasiveness. To the contrary, it seems that the weight of the testimony, taken as a whole, deemphasizes the significance of passenger service in holding and attracting industry. The total population of the eleven counties traversed by the two trains, as shown by the 1950 Federal Census report, is 1,034,890. This represents a sizeable increase from 801,266 in 1930. The total population of communities, including or adjacent to railroad stations or stops, is 544,244, but excluding the Birmingham-Bessemer area and Mobile, the population is approximately 76,762. The population of the 32 communities so included which have no other common carrier service except these passenger trains is shown to be 4,206. It thus appears that less than 1% of the total population of the communities served by the railroad will not have bus service readily available.