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(The Associated Press circulated the following on September 17.)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Expanding an Amtrak route from Oklahoma to Kansas appears likely as the railroad operator and the Kansas Legislature move forward with a joint feasibility study this month, a state transportation official said.

John Dougherty, a rail programs assistant division manager for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, said Kansas officials are looking at whether to extend passenger rail service into that state.

“Kansas is taking the lead, and this is what we’ve been waiting for them to do,” Dougherty told members of the Oklahoma City Council during a special meeting Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of noise and concerns and interest from their citizens to their state leaders that they want these options.”

Several Oklahoma cities also have endorsed the proposed expansion. In July, Edmond city officials passed a resolution in support of expanding the Heartland Flyer service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, north to Kansas City, Mo., by way of Newton.

The governments of those cities have already expressed support for the plan, as have Norman, Oklahoma City and several other communities.

As fuel prices have spiked over the past year, ridership on the Heartland Flyer between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth increased 17 percent for the 10 months ended July 31, Amtrak officials recently reported. Daily passengers for the 10 months totaled 67,141, up from 57,327 in the same period in 2007.

Amtrak began offering Heartland Flyer service in June 1999, following a 20-year lapse in passenger rail service for Oklahomans. Oklahoma and Texas contribute about $2 million each annually to support its operations.

Supporters of the expansion would like to see the line continued through Guthrie, Perry and Ponca City, and into Kansas through Arkansas City and then Wichita and Newton. The proposed line would connect there with an existing Amtrak route to Kansas City.

The extension would almost double the route’s length, so the total operating cost would increase by another $4 million annually, Dougherty said. That figure does not include startup costs.

Officials estimate the Kansas study will be finished in six to nine months, after which it will be submitted to legislators for consideration.

If funding is approved by the Kansas Legislature in the following session, a new Amtrak route on existing freight rails and new passenger depots could begin operating as early as 2010, Dougherty said.

“We feel real positive that this is going to end up with an extension,” Dougherty said. “Now, what extension and when is unknown. It’s just the next logical step.”