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.
Jun. 9 The top two executives of Amtrak committed their support Tuesday to creating a new rail route that would link Newton and Wichita to Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, opening a variety of possible connections to Chicago and the east and west coasts. The proposal announced by Amtrak President Stephen Gardner and CEO Bill Flynn would close a longstanding gap by extending the Heartland Flyer .
Amtrak is proposing an expansion of the Heartland Flyer line, the passenger rail service running between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, since 1999.
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