TOPEKA – According to the weekly update from Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy, On Monday, Jan. 30, State Sen. Carolyn McGinn hosted the annual Kansas Passenger Rail Coalition meeting in Topeka.
The event was attended by legislators, local government officials, and subject matter experts. Presenters and guest speakers included FRA Administrator Amit Bose; Amtrak Government Relations Director Derreck James; and Director of Multimodal Transportation and Innovation at KDOT.
Topics of discussion included the opportunity for the state DOT’s to apply for federal funding for infrastructure improvements along the long-awaited extension for the Heartland Flyer long-distance train that currently goes from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City, and could be extended through Wichita to Newton to interconnect with the Southwest Chief.
The last time Oklahoma City and Wichita were connected by passenger rail was in 1979.
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