(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on July 2.)
The Missouri legislature recently approved spending $5 million to increase capacity on Amtrak’s Missouri Mules route. The railroad provides two daily round trips across the state on the corridor.
Passenger trains have “suffered lengthy delays because of heavy freight traffic on the Union Pacific Railroad line,” Amtrak officials said in a prepared statement.
Amtrak will use the funds to add sidings to reduce bottlenecks between Kansas City and Jefferson City, Mo. The Missouri Department of Transportation is seeking a $5 million federal matching grant to fund additional work.