(The following story by Brent D. Wistrom appeared on The Wichita Eagle website on April 27.)
WHICHITA, Kan. — Before an Amtrak train pulls into Wichita, dozens of things have to happen and hundreds of politicians have to say “yea.”
“This is nothing that’s going to happen overnight,” Autumn Heithaus, executive director of the Northern Flyer Alliance, said after listing a bevy of ways to pool money for the train.
She said congressmen are discussing ways to get a slice of federal pie, advocates are lobbying local governments, and the word is spreading like vines.
Kansas Department of Transportation spokesman Ron Kaufman said his department is finalizing the information Amtrak will base its study on. The study, which will examine station location, expenses and myriad other factors, will probably begin in mid- to late summer and could be published about a year later.
“It’s pretty much up to legislators to decide whether or not they want to fund it,” he said.
Though details are being finessed, Kaufman said some things are solidifying.
Four route options are on the table:
• Extension of the Flyer route to Newton to connect with the Chicago-to-Los Angeles Southwest Chief.
• Extension of the Flyer route to Newton, where passengers could connect with another daytime train to get to Kansas City.
• A train that would run between Wichita and Kansas City. Another train would run from Wichita to Oklahoma City. Passengers could then board the Flyer and go farther south.
• A train that would run only from Oklahoma City to Kansas City, with stops between. The Flyer would run independently.
Kansas wants this to be a daytime train, Kaufman said. So scheduling is key, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe would have to reach an agreement with the state. Oklahoma pays BNSF if Amtrak trains reach their destinations on time.
Any train going to Kansas City probably won’t have a dining car or sleeper car.
Wichita, Newton, Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City could all have stops. Emporia, Winfield and Arkansas City might have stops, too. And, if a casino is built near the tracks in Sumner County, which is likely, a depot probably would be built there too, Kaufman said.
But each stop adds time to an already slow trip, and the state wants it to be as speedy as possible, Kaufman said. The tracks in Kansas and Oklahoma can handle top speeds of 79 mph. The train slows to about 60 mph in Texas due to track quality.