It has been more than four decades since Amtrak had service in Wichita, and the push to bring it back continues. The Kansas Department of Transportation is analyzing what expanding the service would mean for south-central Kansas. It wants to hear from Kansans, Oklahomans, and Texans. KDOT, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, and the Texas Department of Transportation are interested in extending the Heartland Flyer daily passenger rail service from Oklahoma City to Newton, where it would connect with the Southwest Chief national route. The Heartland Flyer currently provides service between Ft. Worth and Oklahoma City. The Southwest Chief offers daily roundtrip service between Chicago and Los Angeles. If transportation experts decide it is feasible, the extended Heartland Flyer route would add stops in Wichita and Arkansas City in Kansas. It would also add stops in Ponca City, Perry, Guthrie, and Edmond, Oklahoma. KDOT is in the process of getting another Service Development Plan done on the idea. It completed one in 2011, but the plan fell short due to lack of funding. This time, KDOT says there is more federal interest in passenger rail service, including new funding opportunities. One possibility is the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor ID Program. KDOT, ODOT, and TxDOT applied for the funding in March. The FRA is expected to announce the recipients as early as this week.
Source: KSN-TV
