KCRag Forum

FWIW, I've never heard any interest from Omaha metro or Nebraska state-level politicians in creating a rail link to KC. Omaha was listed as a terminus in some of the early- to mid-2000s versions of the Chicago regional high(er)-speed plan, but there was little local support for it at that time; once Iowa dropped support for their portion of the route, there's been no push from Omaha to reinstate it.

The only expanded rail connections involving Omaha that I foresee even potentially occurring in the next 20-30 years is limited commuter service between Omaha and Lincoln.

I would think that long-term there's some kind of train service roughly mirroring the road network where there's already rail corridors that follow the same route.

Like the river runner basically covers I-70/US 50.

there's already freight lines from KC to Omaha already so compared to many routes it would be a relatively easy one to implement.

DaveKCMO wrote:omaha - no active conversations, but there was a state senator who was lobbying to connect KC to st. joe, which would use the same UP (?) tracks up to omaha. jefferson lines services this route today, so it would be possible to have amtrak contract with them for a "thruway" service to build ridership. "feeder" bus service to st. joe was also considered in a draft state rail plan a few years ago, but, alas, not to omaha.

The were probably looking at the BNSF line to St. Joe. UP serves St. Joe via trackage rights because their own spur into the city was mostly abandoned long ago. That same BNSF line continues to Omaha.

Once upon a time, the Missouri Pacific's Missouri River Eagle ran the same route as today's River Runner, then continued on to Omaha via their line along the west side of the Missouri River. However, I believe that route was cut back to KC-only before Amtrak started up.

This could be a question for Dave, but recently I've been thinking about the Missouri River Runner. How much would more frequent service cost, and do the freight railroads determine how many times passenger trains can travel on the tracks per day? I know the state's allocated amount for this line doesn't leave room for this, but what if the cities on the line contributed to purchasing more engines and cars? And as a student at Mizzou, I think a Columbia connection could really increase ridership. I would definitely consider taking it back to Independence more often if I didn't have to drive 30 minutes to Jeff City.

It would seem to me that a spur to Columbia would provide more ridership both ways than any station in Jeff City.

Amtrak thruway bus would be best solution for Columbia access. Private sector has had trouble serving Jeff City and Columbia pair.

FangKC wrote:It would seem to me that a spur to Columbia would provide more ridership both ways than any station in Jeff City.

mos def. especially considering that amtrak has stops in suburban kc and st. louis on the missouri sides. if you have ever taken amtrak out of chicago to st. louis, you will notice how MANY college kids disembark at bloomington-normal for illinois state. i think half of the university rides amtrak! granted, there's a station right on top of campus.

The only economically feasible way to link Columbia is with thruway coach service like Dave said. Getting trains to Columbia either involves a new Missouri River bridge or a wholesale move of the route to a new alignment north of the river.

Eon Blue wrote:The only economically feasible way to link Columbia is with thruway coach service like Dave said. Getting trains to Columbia either involves a new Missouri River bridge or a wholesale move of the route to a new alignment north of the river.

It's doubtless expensive but the question is it more economical to lay track or widen freeways?

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YES! Rebuild I-70 with a express rail component. Doesn't even need to be HSR. If we could get 110 service I would be thrilled. 75mph service would be fine too.

There is a rail line north of the Missouri River with a bridge at Glasgow that runs through Centralia, which is less distance from Columbia than Jefferson City. That rail line runs from Kansas City to St. Louis. There is already a rail spur from Centralia to Columbia, so one doesn't need to be built.

If one was making the decision based on population, and potential ridership, having Amtrak serve Columbia would make sense since Jefferson City has around 43,000 people and Columbia has around 120,000. Columbia is also more likely to grow its' population.

The trade-off would be bypassing Sedalia and Warrensburg though, so you might be losing as many riders as you gain.

warwickland wrote:if you have ever taken amtrak out of chicago to st. louis, you will notice how MANY college kids disembark at bloomington-normal for illinois state. i think half of the university rides amtrak! granted, there's a station right on top of campus.

FangKC wrote: The trade-off would be bypassing Sedalia and Warrensburg though, so you might be losing as many riders as you gain.

In response to both of these. I go to school in Warrensburg right now and everyone I know that lives in the KC metro or STL metro has taken the train home for the weekend/extended breaks at least a couple times.

gfisch95 wrote:

warwickland wrote:if you have ever taken amtrak out of chicago to st. louis, you will notice how MANY college kids disembark at bloomington-normal for illinois state. i think half of the university rides amtrak! granted, there's a station right on top of campus.

FangKC wrote: The trade-off would be bypassing Sedalia and Warrensburg though, so you might be losing as many riders as you gain.

In response to both of these. I go to school in Warrensburg right now and everyone I know that lives in the KC metro or STL metro has taken the train home for the weekend/extended breaks at least a couple times.

I went to school there and everyone I knew drove home. Different circles, different needs.

i used to take the train from time to time when i went to university of central mo back to the st. louis area (and kansas city) but the number of other students on there seemed like a trickle, nothing like the illinois service.

I-70 is a terrible terrible drive, however, i'm surprised more don't use it. if it was easily accessible to mizzou, the train would be much more utilized.

Gretins just announced $500k in Amtrak cuts. Anyone know how this will affect service?

shinatoo wrote:Gretins just announced $500k in Amtrak cuts. Anyone know how this will affect service?

This doc shows the cost of the operating contract and the years of shortfalls that have accumulated (page 2): http://www.modot.org/othertransportatio ... erFY15.pdf

In short, too soon to tell.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... b8724.html

Despite losing $500,000 in funding as part of Gov. Eric Greitens’ budget cuts, Amtrak service across Missouri remains on track.

Michelle Teel, director of multimodal programs at the Missouri Department of Transportation, told the Post-Dispatch Tuesday that riders on the Missouri River Runner trains should see no change in the twice-a-day schedule for the foreseeable future.

“We’re going to continue the service,” Teel said.

Trump wants to make Amtrak be 100% state and local funded

https://twitter.com/yfreemark/status/842235487863599109

Couple this with the post above and Amtrak in MO is in jeopardy of going away if both happen.

Amtrak service before and after proposed federal budget cuts.

https://vimeo.com/213231715