Kansas Passenger Rail Expansion On Hold Over Funding Issues

Thu, January 26, 2012

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AP / Fletcher Powell

The state transportation department says questions about funding have put a halt to plans to expand passenger rail service in Kansas.

Dennis Slimmer, chief of planning for the Kansas Department of Transportation, told a Senate committee Wednesday that the department would not do any further work on the proposal unless the Legislature could find some funding for it.

KDOT was studying extending the route of Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer service, which runs between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. Proposals included adding a stop in Newton or extending the route to Kansas City, Missouri.

The department estimated the cost of improvements needed for the Newton route would be $87.5 million. The Kansas City route would cost about $245.5 million.