Kansas City is hoping to get 1 billion in federal funds for their 180mi commuter rail plan. The trains would use US Railcar’s (formely Colorado Railcar) DMU’s and terminate at Union Station from lines radiating out of the city. However, capacity will be extremly tight with 120+ freights, 6 Amtraks a day & possibly 4 more Amtraks from the proposed Heartland Flyer extension/extra Missouri River Runner round trip; all on 3 main tracks leading to Union Station. Twenty highway overpasses, within a couple miles distance, would need to be replaced to add an additional main. Can room be made for the commuter plan utilizing more crossovers & positive train control? The science museum and office buildings would need to be razed in order to make room for additional tracks at the station itself, which I assume has been taken into account in the plan. The cash flow generated from the new services would be a major step in making Union Station financially solvent.
Union Station not viable as transit hub, KC councilman says
JEFFREY SPIVAK, The Kansas City Star
City Councilman Russ Johnson had a message Thursday for anyone who expects Union Station to ultimately become a transportation hub of commuter-rail and light-rail lines:
Don’t count on it.
Johnson presided over a meeting of the council’s transportation committee at which more impassioned pleas were made to have Kansas City’s light-rail starter line connect with Uni |
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