(Source: News Tribune, January 25, 2020)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — For the last decade, Missouri hasn’t paid its full contract for the Amtrak River Runner service, leaving the state with several million dollars in overdue bills. Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna said in a House Budget Committee hearing on Thursday that the situation was an “embarrassment” that will eventually put the passenger rail service in jeopardy. Since 2010, the Legislature has appropriated less than the cost of the contract, McKenna said. Now, the state owes Amtrak $6.5 million in unpaid bills, plus the $11.65 million contract to run the service this year.
Full story: News Tribune