Amtrak's twice-daily passenger train service across Missouri would continue for at least a few more months under legislation given initial approval Wednesday by the House.

The Amtrak funding was added to a roughly $240 million supplemental spending bill for the fiscal year that ends June 30. Most of that money comes from the federal government, but the additional $885,000 in Amtrak funding would come from state revenues.

Amtrak service has cost the state about $6.2 million annually. But this year, as it did last year, the Legislature appropriated just $5 million for the service, creating the need for stopgap funding.

Amtrak officials have said that without extra funding, service would be scaled back to one daily round trip between Kansas City and St. Louis.

Facing the same threat last year, the Legislature agreed to spend an additional $800,000, and state officials struck a nationally unique deal with Amtrak to impose a $5 per passenger surcharge on Missouri trips. Amtrak also eliminated ticket agents in Jefferson City and Kirkwood to help make up the difference.

That surcharge remains in effect this year, and is expected to generate $263,000, which counts toward Amtrak's bill to the state.
Despite approving the additional money, some legislators said they were tired of the repeated financial squabbles and frustrated with Amtrak's frequently delayed trains.

"The Amtrak service is an absolute quagmire," said Rep. Tom Villa, D-St. Louis. But Villa voted to include the funding, saying: "I think that multimodal transportation systems are something that we have to examine."

Rep. Brad Lager, R-Maryville, also supported the extra appropriation but warned that if no funding solution is found for future years, he would try to "derail this runaway money machine."