(The following story appeared on the Springfield News-Leader website on July 2.)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Passenger train service between Kansas City and St. Louis will improve with the installation of sidings near Jefferson City, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The improvements will be financed with $5 million allocated by the General Assembly to remove bottlenecks for Missouri Mule Amtrak trains caused by freight traffic on Union Pacific tracks.
The sidings will allow trains to pass each other without stopping.
MoDOT is applying for $5 million in federal funding for the project.
Funding for the track improvements come at a time when ridership on the trains has increased with the rise in gasoline prices, according to MoDOT.