By Taylor James Cornerstone Editor
A college student who’s far away from home drives from Union to Washington to get on a train ride back home. They park their car between Missouri Meerschaum and the Axe Depot in Washington. They grab their bags and walk over to the train station and go inside and then have a seat until the train arrives. This is not their first time. They have ridden the train time and time again as an effective mode of transport. Currently, there’s only one Amtrak route that runs through the state of Missouri, and the trains that run along it are the Missouri River Runner and the Lincoln Service. Missouri’s two largest metros, Kansas City and St. Louis, both have train stations that are served by Amtrak and passengers are able to go back and forth between these two cities. Missouri’s 3rd largest metro, Springfield, does not currently have an Amtrak route, leaving a major economic hub in Missouri without the option for passenger train travel. Amtrak has proposed new routes in the coming future, and the good part about these proposals is that Springfield, Missouri would have an Amtrak station. Missourians should support the extension of the Amtrak map because the new one will give Missouri’s 3rd largest metropolitan area, Springfield, the option for train travel.
Amtrak is the main long distance operator of passenger trains. Amtrak is the passenger train in the US that has the most miles out of any and the one that serves the most communities. Amtrak does offer benefits to passengers who travel with them. These benefits include city to city service, and there’s room to roam in the trains. According to Amtrak,”Rail travel is the head of the class when it comes to eco-friendly travel”. This is important in trying to reduce the carbon footprint in the US and creating a more clean and beautiful US. There is also a Cafe Car available on the Amtrak train, and much like Airplane travel there is an option for food. Amtrak is efficient at getting people from point A to point B and providing a solid option for train travel. Traveling on an Amtrak train can give someone the benefits similar to that of an airplane within the US. While Amtrak may not be able to travel as fast as airplanes can, they can provide a solid choice of transport if someone wants to go out and travel by train.
The Missouri River Runner is the only state run train in Missouri, and it is a part of Amtrak. This train provides a positive economic impact on the economy of Missouri. In a report from MODOT, they share about the economic impact that the River Runner has on Missouri. They point out that it provides a different option for people who want to travel between Kansas City and St Louis without having to go through I-70, which is a very busy interstate in the state of Missouri. MODOT offered key points about the benefits of the River Runner saying that many Missouri residents and non-visitors depend on non-highway transportation. The report said, “Enhanced passenger rail service provides important economic development benefits to Missouri communities by improving accessibility, connectivity, and travel efficiency for both in-state and out-of-state travelers… The Missouri River Runner service strengthens communities by providing connectivity amongst Missouri’s cities, serving as an anchor to commercial and residential development and encouraging more efficient mobility options in the community”. The River Runner does a great job at providing the opportunity to travel across the central part of the state and boost the economies of two large cities, St Louis and Kansas City, in Missouri. Washington, Missouri is home to one of these stations and plays a role in providing an effective economic booster for the state. Much of the funding of the River Runner comes from the federal government and not much is from the state. The Runner provides the connectivity of 10 Missouri cities and allows for people and their families to explore the central part of the state without breaking the bank. If a kid wants to go from Washington to Hermann they can. This is because of the River Runner and Amtrak making this option possible.
The Amtrak route that will give Springfield a train station is a proposed route that would go from Dallas to New York City. Stephen Fesler of the Urbanist has a picture of a map that outlines the proposed routes. Springfield would not be the only place that would benefit from these proposed routes. Fesler listed statistics about the communities that this route would help within his article. The FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) statistics say that these new Amtrak routes would bring access to 12 national park areas, 600 higher educational institutions, 82 medical centers, serve another 102 stations for small communities, serve large communities by adding another 114 stations, and 45 million Americans would be served. This is an overall estimate of how the large routes proposed on the Urbanist map would affect the US. This would significantly boost the economy and provide an additional option for travel in America for these many communities that do not have an Amtrak station serving its area.
Amtrak can create long lasting positive memories for people when they travel. National NPR did an interview with longtime Amtrak traveler Nat Read, someone who’s traveled all 21,400 miles that Amtrak currently has. Read says there’s something unique about riding the train, and he prefers it now to traveling by car. Read quotes that he sees a symbol of America within the train:”In a train, I sit on the top of a two-story magic carpet while watching a Technicolor diorama scrolling beside me as I progress from the mountains to the prairie, from sea to shining sea…To me, this is America with a flag that is equal parts blue and red. And I see the railroad tracks across America as the lace that ties us together”. This is a powerful quote from Read that explains his travels on the train makes him proud to be American. The train for him represents the beauty and unity of the nation. On the train he can go from big cities to small towns and see much of what America has to offer. He’s rode Amtrak for a long time, and he sees the benefits of what the train can provide for Americans. It’s another way to travel, but it’s also something that can help bring Americans closer together.
Springfield, Missouri has a metro population of more than 475,000 people and is the third largest metro in the state of Missouri. This place needs a train station because Missouri’s two largest metros are already served by Amtrak with the Missouri River Runner running daily between Kansas City and St Louis. This route just connects the state through the central geographical region. Mike Landis of Ozarks First did an article about how much the routes would cost to bring a train station through Springfield. The last passenger railroad in the Ozarks got shut down in 1967 and was run by the Frisco Railroad. The potential cost to bring a station into Springfield and would establish a train route from Dallas to New York would cost about 5 billion dollars. 5 billion dollars is a lot of money and many people may find that number off-putting for this project. However, the benefits of adding a station in Springfield would substantially boost the economy of Missouri. Amtrak contributed 14.4 million dollars to the local economies it served in Missouri in 2016. This would add another option for people wanting to travel from St Louis to Springfield without wanting to have to go by car. Car travel isn’t bad; this would just help provide another option if someone wanted to do it. The price may be worth it if someone doesn’t want to drive down the I-44 corridor.
There was a two year study that was done by the FRA, and an article from the International Railway Journal reported about it. The FRA just recently submitted its final report to expand Amtrak’s long distance network. Amtrak is currently operating 15 long distance routes in 39 states. In the FRA’s final report, they include the route from Dallas to New York City, which includes the potential Springfield train stop. Jim Matthews, the President of the Rail Passengers Association, is very excited about this report and said, “We need to do everything we can to ensure that Congress embraces its conclusions and sets the stage for multi-year commitments to growth”. Matthews finds it important that the US Congress embraces the proposed routes, and that will provide more opportunities for the US economy to grow. Potentially increasing train travel will lead to cities and towns needing their communities to serve stations and will create more jobs. Michael Brown of Groundwork, a non-profit organization, wrote an article called, “Done Right, rail stations can spawn remarkable economic development” he said, “Areas with high foot traffic are ideal for restaurants and shops…these types of small businesses benefit the most from successful train development”. The tourism of the small towns that will be along the new routes will increase and give the potential for these towns to have more business.
The government has federal control of the railroads, and that is why Amtrak is needed for long distance railway travel. The legislation being pushed has a chance to become a new c in between these two cities. Amtrak provides another chance for the growth of public transit within Missouri and the opportunities for cities and communities within the state to see an even greater economic growth. Amtrak can provide economic boosts to Springfield by introducing the train station through it and towns within Missouri along the way. The national legislation is important for this route to pass because the state seems to let the federal government take charge on the train routes. Imagine there being two options for train travel within the state of Missouri, instead of having all the people having to drive down the major interstates to get where they want to go. Introducing a train station into Springfield would be the start of something beautiful for the state of Missouri.
opportunity for economic growth in the country. The need for a train station that can present long distance travel, to and from Springfield, is an issue that needs to be addressed. Springfield is experiencing a state of constant growth within its population, one of the fastest in Missouri. Joe Hickman of KY3 wrote an article about Springfield’s rapid growth. He talked about Springfield’s 3.08 percent growth between 2020 and 2023 was the largest in the state, according to the US Census Bureau. A metro that has close to half a million people would benefit from this and increase travel to the Ozarks. Springfield and St. Louis are cities that are very important to one another and should support each other because they are both a part of the state of Missouri.
Train travel presents many benefits for Missourians and out of towners who travel within the state. The River Runner, housed by Amtrak, presents these opportunities and provides effective travel by train within the state. Amtrak can provide a positive travel experience, and some people like Nat Read travel all across the US with the idea of taking a train from city to city. Legislation is being pushed to introduce the Dallas and New York City Amtrak route, and that would add a daily stop for Springfield. There are so many benefits for Missouri if the state were to add a new train station. While the price for putting in a station may be high, the benefits outweigh the cost. As someone who rides the Missouri River Runner home from Washington to Kansas City, I can say that traveling with Amtrak has been a positive experience. There have sometimes been delays while I was on it, but it is currently the only option Missouri currently has. If the legislation were to pass and add a station to Springfield it would add a second route within the state of Missouri. This would give a chance for the people who travel along I-44 a different way to travel. The I-70 people already have a secondary option with the River Runner running daily from Kansas City to St Louis, and the travelers don’t have to worry about car traffic.
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