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Route recommended for possible Kansas City commuter rail service
I still do not know what to think about this. They also want to try and reopen the old CRI&P (now UP) line that is from KC (Leeds) to Pleasant Hill. This line has been embargoed and out of service for 30 years. One problem with light rail here – we simply do not have the population density to support it. We will spend millions upon millions for this, and who will use it – I won’t.
then you are a fool. Anyone in the Denver area who is near a light rail stop loves the commuter lines, and if you were only able to visit here to see the boom in growth, both residential and small business around the new lines’ stops you would realize that once built, these lines are very popular, and of economic benefit far beyond the infrastructure improvements, and the jobs creating maintaining and operating them.
The railroads we had before the AMTRAK experiment abandoned trackage for tax savings, and have no interest to tie up freight lines for “projects” some think moneymaking.
The MKT, CRIP, N & W, MoPac, KCS operated only to fulfill
U.S. Postal contracts. During the late 1960’s , the Santa Fe Chief, and her sisters-San Francisco Chief, Texas Chief, and Grand Canyon left. I worked in the Santa Fe Travel Center at 11th & Wyandotte in those days, saw the writing on the wall, and joined the US Army for a 3 year tour. When I returned to my position, the “office” was moved to the mail concourse of Union Station, just before it was closed April1, 1971.
We know the name “Chief” is owned by the BNSF as long as train service is impeccable. El Capitan and Super Chief will not be forgotten. I am sure of that.
Mr Kelly McClanahan, you would be surprised how many people will use the service. Believe it or not, rail enjoyed unexpected ridership in the reddest of the cities especialyy Salt Lake City, Utah and Pheonix,Ariz. People are finally realizing that freeways ande automobile arem’t the panacea of our transportation needs everthough the oil companies try to make us believe that.
Instead of building cars for the proposed service, why not start with the two Talgo train-sets that the the state of WI decided not to use?