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MoDOT requesting funds from legislature for UP improvements for Amtrak
4/2/08

MoDOT is requesting the legislature for an appropriation for capital improvements in the Union Pacific Railroad that Amtrak uses for service between St. Louis and Kansas City with the hopes of improving the on-time performance of Amtrak on the severely congested line. The request is based on a study completed in July 2007 for MoDOT by professors James Noble and Charles Nemmers of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Engineering.

As many as 60 freight trains use the line per day. That coupled with track work has resulted in Amtrak running as many as 12 hours late on a trip that is scheduled for five and one-half hours. As recently as December, Amtrak substituted buses for trains because the line was so congested with freights so far behind schedule that the crews were out of time and the trains could not move until relief crews were brought in. Ridership on the route has dropped dramatically, running counter to national trends of increased ridership on Amtrak.

Some of the improvements identified in the report include building a new siding in California, MO, which is west of Jefferson City. The current siding is 3,500 feet long meaning it is too short for many trains that are more than 5,000 feet long. The report estimates the cost of the improvement at $4 million. Another siding that could be lengthened is at Strasburg, which is west of California. The cost of that improvement is between $2 and $8 million, depending on design of the project. The report also identified double tracking from Lee’s Summit to Jefferson City at a cost of $260 million. In total, nine improvements were identified in the report which can be viewed at www.modot.mo.gov. Click on “News and Information” and then click on “Reports.”

“Many states are partnering with railroads that host Amtrak to make improvements in infrastructure. The state of Illinois has made major investments in improving grade crossings for the Union Pacific alignment between St. Louis and Chicago. That with the addition of two frequencies a day has resulted in a major increase in ridership between the two cities,” said Thomas Shrout, executive director of CMT. Brian Weiler, director of multi-modal operations, said he would be bringing Amtrak, the Union Pacific, MoDOT and legislative leaders together in order to seek consensus on which projects would be pursued.

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