Plan would restore rail service to big swath of the Midwest
HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, The Associated Press
June 12, 2021
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MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Proponents of expanding passenger rail service through Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas hope an anticipated influx of federal infrastructure funding will get the the long-discussed route off the ground.
The project, which is among 39 new routes that Amtrak has proposed, calls for extending the Heartland Flyer. The train now travels south from Oklahoma City in the morning and returns in the evening, with an afternoon layover in Fort Worth, Texas.
With the expansion, one daily trip would start and end farther north in Newton, Kansas, in the early morning, traveling over tracks owned by BNSF, the largest U.S. railroad. From Newton, travelers could catch Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, which travels between Chicago and Los Angeles, passing through Kansas City, Missouri, along the way.