JEFFERSON CITY –The State of Missouri and Amtrak will restore the second of two daily round-trip trains on the Amtrak MidwestSM Missouri River Runner line between the Amtrak stations in Kansas City and St. Louis starting July 19. Funding from the State of Missouri and the federal American Rescue Plan Act will keep those two round-trip trains running through the end of December 2021. This service was reduced to one round-trip each day in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We appreciate the General Assembly and Gov. Parson providing necessary resources for the Amtrak Missouri River Runner service in the state’s budget as well as the additional COVID relief funds enabling us to restore this important transportation service to Missourians,” said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna. “The two daily round-trip trains will be available through December covering the busiest time of the year including summer vacations, fall festivals and year-end holiday travel. We will re-evaluate the situation this fall based on the actions at the federal level with the renewal of the federal transportation budget to determine how long we can support the two daily round-trip service.”
“We also extend our thanks to Gov. Parson and the Legislature for their actions and for the steadfast, statewide support from the Missouri Rail Passenger Advisory Committee,” said Ray Lang, Amtrak Vice President for state-sponsored services. “Our valued relationship with MoDOT goes back to 1979 and we look forward to improving the already reliable service by the debut of new U.S.-made Amtrak Midwest railcars on this route later this year.”
An Economic Impact Study of the Missouri River Runner found the service generates more than $200 million in annual economic impact in Missouri. It also supports more than 1,250 jobs in communities at the stops across the state: Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lees Summit and Independence, in addition to Kansas City Union Station and St. Louis Gateway Station.
Missouri sponsors the Amtrak Missouri River Runner intercity passenger service between St. Louis and Kansas City, with access to national Amtrak routes at both terminals and services sponsored by Illinois between St. Louis and Chicago. By this weekend, ticketing will be available for both Missouri round-trip train services beginning July 19. Tickets can be purchased on Amtrak.com, Amtrak’s mobile apps, by calling 800-USA-RAIL or by visiting the staffed ticket windows at the Amtrak stations in St. Louis and Kansas City.
Customers are encouraged to use the capacity indicator at the time of booking, showing each train’s seating availability. This real-time data is available through departure times and, if bookings exceed comfort levels, customers can change their ticket without incurring a fee (a fare difference may apply). Per federal law and Amtrak policy, all customers and employees must wear a face mask or covering that fully covers the entire mouth and nose, fits snugly against the side of the face, and secures under the chin at all times while onboard and in stations.
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For more information, call MoDOT at 888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org. To receive the latest statewide news and text alerts, signup for e-updates.