KCRag Forum

Posted: **Wed Nov 25, 2015 12:59 pm**

here's what a JO bus looks like after the RideKC rebrand:

Posted: **Sun Jun 26, 2016 8:15 pm**

big johnson county service expansion (relatively speaking) on july 5: http://ridekc.org/news/joco_expansion

Posted: **Sun Jun 26, 2016 9:46 pm**

YES! I can start riding the bus to work again (in the 2017 Lenexa expansion, that is).

Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:57 pm**

http://ridekc.org/blog/bill-would-expan ... ce-on-i-35

Posted: **Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:13 pm**

four more JoCo routes drop to the regional $1.50 fare on march 1.

that leaves only four routes in the $3 "suburban express" fare category: K10, lee's summit, liberty, and blue springs.

http://ridekc.org/bulletins/fare-reduct ... 63-569-595

Posted: **Thu Feb 15, 2018 12:24 pm**

The Board of Commissioners has approved funding for a new route to serve the Gardner/Edgerton area: http://gardnernews.com/public-transit-c ... nsas-city/

Posted: **Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:29 pm**

Changes are coming: http://ridekc.org/bulletins/joco_transit

Posted: **Sun Oct 07, 2018 8:07 pm**

Seems like lateral moves rather than any sort of improvement. I wish JoCo would step it up with some BRT routes and <30 min headways...or at least late night/weekend service

Posted: **Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:31 pm**

This is a step towards better Metcalf service.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:12 pm**

A near-term vision for the future of Johnson County transit service will be presented to the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 31. All meetings are streamed live.

Posted: **Sun May 16, 2021 10:16 am**

With new commissioners seated in January, Johnson County held three visioning sessions in 2021 to get to some consensus about what to do with transit going forward and came up with nothing. The current mix of downtown express, limited local service, and micro transit is sustainable but it's all coming out of the general fund so they could spend more/less or change the mix of services. This is affecting the discussion about restoring some of the services that were reduced during the pandemic.

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 11:04 am**

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 10:16 am With new commissioners seated in January, Johnson County held three visioning sessions in 2021 to get to some consensus about what to do with transit going forward and came up with nothing. The current mix of downtown express, limited local service, and micro transit is sustainable but it's all coming out of the general fund so they could spend more/less or change the mix of services. This is affecting the discussion about restoring some of the services that were reduced during the pandemic.

Johnson County will be reviving their last service analysis project with an eye towards service restoration in 2022. This article indicates the last step (public comments on the draft plan) before the commission halted the project in early 2019 and then the pandemic hit:

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2018/10/ ... tes-74741/
https://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/f ... Packet.pdf (page 5 of PDF)

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:41 pm**

DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 11:04 am
DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 10:16 am With new commissioners seated in January, Johnson County held three visioning sessions in 2021 to get to some consensus about what to do with transit going forward and came up with nothing. The current mix of downtown express, limited local service, and micro transit is sustainable but it's all coming out of the general fund so they could spend more/less or change the mix of services. This is affecting the discussion about restoring some of the services that were reduced during the pandemic.
Johnson County will be reviving their last service analysis project with an eye towards service restoration in 2022. This article indicates the last step (public comments on the draft plan) before the commission halted the project in early 2019 and then the pandemic hit:

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2018/10/ ... tes-74741/
https://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/f ... Packet.pdf (page 5 of PDF)

Will they ever look at rail now?

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:59 pm**

AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:41 pm
DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 11:04 am
DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 10:16 am With new commissioners seated in January, Johnson County held three visioning sessions in 2021 to get to some consensus about what to do with transit going forward and came up with nothing. The current mix of downtown express, limited local service, and micro transit is sustainable but it's all coming out of the general fund so they could spend more/less or change the mix of services. This is affecting the discussion about restoring some of the services that were reduced during the pandemic.
Johnson County will be reviving their last service analysis project with an eye towards service restoration in 2022. This article indicates the last step (public comments on the draft plan) before the commission halted the project in early 2019 and then the pandemic hit:

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2018/10/ ... tes-74741/
https://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/f ... Packet.pdf (page 5 of PDF)
Will they ever look at rail now?

I’m still convinced rail along the BNSF line that runs along 35 is the home run commuter line that could exist in joco. Starts from Paola even, but runs through Hillsdale, Spring Hill, Olathe, Lenexa, OP, Shawnee, Merriam, and then Rosedale before ending at US. This would be viable to serve so much of the JOCO population, and you could even have a separate branch to Gardner and then Edgerton. Just my dream, as I know BNSF has no desire to let any organization operate on their tracks, nor will they operate a line themselves.

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:01 pm**

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:59 pm
AlkaliAxel wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:41 pm
DaveKCMO wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 11:04 am

Johnson County will be reviving their last service analysis project with an eye towards service restoration in 2022. This article indicates the last step (public comments on the draft plan) before the commission halted the project in early 2019 and then the pandemic hit:

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2018/10/ ... tes-74741/
https://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/f ... Packet.pdf (page 5 of PDF)
Will they ever look at rail now?
I’m still convinced rail along the BNSF line that runs along 35 is the home run commuter line that could exist in joco. Starts from Paola even, but runs through Hillsdale, Spring Hill, Olathe, Lenexa, OP, Shawnee, Merriam, and then Rosedale before ending at US. This would be viable to serve so much of the JOCO population, and you could even have a separate branch to Gardner and then Edgerton. Just my dream, as I know BNSF has no desire to let any organization operate on their tracks, nor will they operate a line themselves.

Look, I would certainly take that as a spine because it's better than nothing. However, I do think the long term best case scenario is we go West with it and hook in Lawrence, Topeka, and Manhattan. We're lucky it's literally a straight line from Overland Park to all those cities all the way to Manhattan. Would be amazing for the universities too. Kansas should fund that if they want growth. Again...a straight line perfectly

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:13 pm**

BNSF operates Metra lines

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:31 pm**

^Both of those lines are BNSF, and the comment upthread is correct. BNSF doesn't like to share. However, Amtrak has some power to coerce sharing of track, and I think a commuter rail could take the same approach.

Actually, BNSF has wanted for years to re-route the Chief over the Olathe-Wichita-Amarillo-Clovis mainline rather than the Topeka-Dodge City-Trinidad route to Albuquerque. Either line could support commuter rail, although I think the demand along the Olathe line would be greater than the Lawrence line.

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:03 pm**

herrfrank wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:31 pm Actually, BNSF has wanted for years to re-route the Chief over the Olathe-Wichita-Amarillo-Clovis mainline rather than the Topeka-Dodge City-Trinidad route to Albuquerque. Either line could support commuter rail, although I think the demand along the Olathe line would be greater than the Lawrence line.

A station in Olathe seems like it's no better or worse than Lawrence but if it enabled a train from KC to Dallas as part of a railroad agreement then it would be worth it.

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:40 pm**

flyingember wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:03 pm
herrfrank wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 2:31 pm Actually, BNSF has wanted for years to re-route the Chief over the Olathe-Wichita-Amarillo-Clovis mainline rather than the Topeka-Dodge City-Trinidad route to Albuquerque. Either line could support commuter rail, although I think the demand along the Olathe line would be greater than the Lawrence line.
A station in Olathe seems like it's no better or worse than Lawrence but if it enabled a train from KC to Dallas as part of a railroad agreement then it would be worth it.

It very well could be the gateway to it to say the least. I imagine ridership would be far better with a commuter line through JOCO than one to Lawrence, but both would probably serve a solid purpose

Posted: **Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:13 pm**

Well BNSF wants to re-route the Chief. Maybe Sharice Davids could get on that with Buttgieg (the new Transportation Sec'y) in exchange for a starter commuter line agreement.

Foamers would FREAK if Amtrak agreed to re-routing away from the historic "Topeka and Santa Fe" route. Although I would bet that the Amarillo/ Clovis mainline would save at least six hours net travel time. Plus you get a KC-Wichita city pair. Passengers would miss the Raton Pass and they'd have to reverse connect in Alb'que to Lamy.

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