Passenger Trains > Missouri and Amtrak

Our new governor, Eric Greitens just announced a cut of half million dollars in the state contributions to Amtrak...going speculate that we will see a reduction in service for the River Runner service across the state from KC to St Louis

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Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

How much is the total budget?

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The 2015 budget was $8.9 million...not sure of the 2017 budget

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

They could survive on one River Runner but only if they left Kansas City later in the day with a guaranteed connection. The way it is now if the Southwest Chief is late, you miss the morning train and get to cool you heals in the station until 4:00 pm in the afternoon!

what's the traffic composition on these trains? Mostly through riders, or short hauls, etc?

Great! Send the moolah to California where we could use it on any number of rail projects.

Why would Missouri send money to the People's Republic of California?

To see the money used for more passenger trains, not more mule carts! :)

I'm sure that was in the policy sheet he was handed to by the Heritage Foundation and/or the State GOP leadership.

A 500k reduction in an 8.9 million budget won't become a service cut. It might mean one less coach run on the train or some modifications to food service, but 500k is something that can be negotiated. Possibly even covered by a small fare increase.

One less coach ? Then they're down to ONE, and they'll have to haul it around anyway for axle count to accommodate UP's signal system that appears to be as reliable at detecting short trains as getting a cheap set of Christmas lights to turn on. 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/17 16:29 by joemvcnj.

railwaybaron Wrote:
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> Great! Send the moolah to California where we
> could use it on any number of rail projects.


It is MISSOURI's money.  Not the Federal Government's.  Not Amtraks's (which itself saw to that by
pushing through PRIIA 2008).  Certainly not California's.

And if Missouri doesn't think the trains are worth it, or that they are being overcharged by the vendor,
and that there are better ways to spend the money, that is THEIR decision.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/17 16:40 by GenePoon.

But they will go out and waste $500M on such stupic highway interchange, and then proclaim  it is a real advancment........