TOPEKA, Kan. — It could cost as much as $573 million for infrastructure work to accommodate an extension of Heartland Flyer service to connect with the Southwest Chief in Newton, Kan., Kansas Department of Transportation officials said today (Dec. 11).
A northward extension of the Oklahoma City-Fort Worth, Texas, train was among 69 possible routes to receive $500,00o for further study last year under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program [see “Full list of passenger routes …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 8, 2024]. Officials hope the extension could come by 2029.
The news site Kansas Reflector reports that the cost would be $311 million — $175 million in Kansas and $136 million in Oklahoma — for the basic infrastructure needs. That rises to $573 million to allow 79-mph running on the full route, Martin Alvarez, KDOT rail project coordinator, told a conference call. The figures do not include operating costs, which would initially be covered by Amtrak and gradually shifted to the states. The Kansas legislature has previously set aside $5 million for the project.
The train would take about 3½ hours for the 198 miles on BNSF’s route between Newton and Oklahoma City, 7½ for the full trip to Fort Worth, according to KDOT. Currently, bus service is available to connect the two routes [see “Heartland Flyer’s challenging connections with the Southwest Chief,” News Wire, July 31, 2023].
Newton KS? Hey there’s a city called … Ya know Kansas City.. In Missouri … Maybe it would also connect to the River Runners and the SW……
A connection with the Southwest Chief at Newton would be unreliable. Sometimes the Chief runs on time, but often it does not. Just today, December 11th, No. 3 was nine hours late into Barstow apparently due to engine failure. A BNSF replacement engine was leading (I viewed the arrival on Virtual Railfan). A dedicated Fort Worth-Oklahoma City-Chicago train like the former Texas Chief would be the ideal solution in an ideal world.
That’s a lot of money for a 79 mph train. Wonder what the cost would be for a 90 mph train. I still support the idea nevertheless.