(The following story by Tim Hrenchir appeared on The (Topeka) Capital-Journal website on April 3.)
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Topeka City Council will wait two weeks to consider a joint city-county resolution encouraging the expansion of railroad service options for residents of this area.
The council voted Tuesday evening to add the measure to its meeting agenda, then voted 5-4 to table it until the April 15 meeting, where supporters of the resolution are expected to be on hand.
Council members Lana Kennedy, Jack Woelfel, Deborah Swank, Brett Blackburn and Jeff Preisner voted to table the measure, while John Alcala, Sylvia Ortiz, Bill Haynes and Richard Harmon dissented.
Shawnee County commissioners on Monday had unanimously approved the resolution, which expresses support for Amtrak’s expansion of railroad service from Newton south to Oklahoma City.
The measure also asks Amtrak to provide a full line of customer service, including baggage handling, at its Topeka station at S.E. 5th and Holliday.
The only Amtrak train currently making stops in Kansas is the Southwest Chief, which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles with stops in Kansas at Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
Amtrak has been in talks with the Kansas Department of Transportation about receiving potential state subsidies to help it expand the line to offer a connecting train between Newton and Oklahoma City.
The proposed new line would give northeast Kansans railroad access to Fort Worth, Texas, and on to San Antonio, where connections may be made with trains traveling along the nation’s southern border to both coasts.
The council on Tuesday evening also voted 9-0 to approve an ordinance and accompanying $2.6 million project budget to rehabilitate various sections of streets.
The ordinance calls for the city to choose street sections for improvement based on need for repair, as well as traffic congestion.
Tuesday’s move comes after the council last month amended the city’s 2008 capital improvement budget to create a new category for “street repairs” and move $2.62 million into that category for this year.
The council made that money available by removing from the CIB $620,000 budgeted for replacement of traffic signals this year and freeing up $2 million by lowering from $2.5 million to $500,000 the amount to be spent this year on a project to build a fire station in the area of S.W. 6th and Fairlawn Road.