The project to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer train route from Oklahoma City to Newton is ahead of its competitors in the process to apply for existing federal funding and is firmly on the radar of the Federal Rail Administration, which will administer the funding. That’s the takeaway following an annual Train caucus forum chaired by State Senator Carolyn McGinn on Monday. The meeting included executives from both Amtrak and the Federal Rail Administration, state legislators, local elected officials and proponents for the expansion project. “We have a chance to link a huge swath of the country through passenger rail,” Federal Rail Administration Executive Director Michael Lestingi said during the forum, as he discussed the extension and its importance. That extension would make Newton a layover spot for 200,000 possible Amtrak passengers switching trains between the Heartland Flyer and the Southwest Chief, which travels from Chicago through Newton to Los Angeles.
Source: Harvey County Now
