TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The state transportation department says questions about funding have derailed plans to expand passenger rail service in Kansas.
Dennis Slimmer, chief of planning for the Kansas Department of Transportation, on Wednesday told a Senate committee the department would not do any further work on the proposal unless the Legislature could find some funding for it.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that KDOT was studying extending the route Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer, which runs between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. Proposals included adding a stop in Newton or extending the route to Kansas City, Mo.
The department estimated the cost of improvements needed for the Newton route would be $87.5 million. The Kansas City route would cost about $245.5 million.
