Passenger rail is possible here
Monday, August 25, 2008
Photo by Adam Vogler
Northern Flyer Alliance Wichita Area Director Autumn Heithaus speaks to area residents about brining passenger rail service back to Emporia Saturday, Aug. 23.
Imagine being able to step on a train in the morning, ride to Kansas City or Wichita, spend the day at business or shopping and then hop on another train in the evening to return to Emporia. Imagine people from Wichita or Kansas City making the same trip in reverse.
On Saturday afternoon, members of the Northern Flyer Alliance told a gathering in Emporia that the return of passenger rail service to Emporia — with all of the economic and social benefits that could entail — is a dream that could come true in just a few years.
Emporia City Manager Matt Zimmerman, who is also the Emporia-area director of the Northern Flyer Alliance, was the moderator for the meeting at the Emporia Public Library. The group of about 25 people included representatives of city, county and state government.
Zimmerman told the audience that the alliance is hoping to build on and extend the success of an earlier grassroots passenger rail movement in Texas and Oklahoma that has resulted in the Heartland Flyer, which provides daily service between Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City. The Northern Flyer would do the same between Oklahoma City and Kansas City, Mo., on a route running through Wichita, Newton, Emporia, Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City.
The alliance has already gotten official support from communities along the route and is now focusing on building support in each area in Kansas to influence the Legislature. The state is now assembling its next 10-year transportation plan that will serve as a guide for spending money on roads and public transportation for the next decade. The alliance is lobbying to get passenger rail included in the plan.
The state support is needed because Amtrak would require the state to subsidize the rail service. Zimmerman said the annual cost to the state would be $2 million to $2.5 million, a substantial amount, but only a small part of the amount the state spends each year on transportation programs.
“One mile of highway costs $5 million,” Zimmerman said.
Another speaker, Ron Kaufman, chief of the public involvement bureau of the Kansas Department of Transportation, said that Amtrak will soon begin a study of the feasibility of passenger service on the Oklahoma City-Kansas City rail corridor.
“We hope that study will start next month,” he said, and will take about six months to complete.
He said the state should provide answers to a number of “what-if scenarios” and give the Kansas Legislature solid information to use in its deliberations.
He pointed out that the timing of the report will mean that it will be completed during the Legislature’s 2009 session, putting any action on the plan on a short schedule if a decision is to be made during the session.
“Grassroots support is what will drive Kansas and Oklahoma to support this service,” Kaufman said.
Evan Stair, the Oklahoma director of the Northern Flyer Alliance, talked about the success of the Heartland Flyer, which came into service in 1999.
He said the Amtrak study for that service forecast an annual ridership of 25,000. The trains are now carrying 80,000 passengers a year and said he expects the numbers to go up because of the high price of gasoline and growing environmental concerns.
Stair said the Northern Flyer would fill a critical gap in passenger rail in the United States – the 200-mile gap between Oklahoma City and Newton.
Mark Corriston, the Kansas City director for the alliance, said recent national legislation could make establishing the service easier. A bill passed late last year greatly increased the amount of money available for intercity rail projects.
All of the speakers talked about the economic benefits of passenger rail.
Stair said the Heartland Flyer cost $23 million to start up. A recent study indicated that it has resulted in an influx of that same amount into the communities along the route.
Autumn Heithaus, the Wichita-area director, said the Northern Flyer would benefit the colleges along its route, which would include Emporia State University, Wichita State University, Washburn University and the University of Kansas. She said that there is now no way for international students arriving at Kansas City International Airport to get to Emporia. Volunteers have to drive up to pick them up.
The audience included State Sen. Jim Barnett, County Commission Chairman Scott Briggs, City Commissioner Julie Johnson, Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce chief Jeanine McKenna and Emporia Main Street Director Kayla Oney.
Barnett did not specifically endorse the Northern Flyer plan, but said he supports better transportation and environmentally friendly transportation.
As for the plan, “It needs grassroots support, but it also needs to make economic sense,” Barnett said.
The alliance members all said they think the plan makes economic sense. Now they are working on the support.
At the end of Saturday’s presentation, the alliance members collected names, addresses and e-mail addresses of the people who attended, promising to keep them up to date on the project and the Amtrak study.
Comments
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Posted by dale011 (anonymous) on August 25, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Excellent idea, let hear more about this as it developes.
Posted by create (anonymous) on August 25, 2008 at 4:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gee, we used to have a depot here too. :(
Posted by MrCmonkeeDo (anonymous) on August 25, 2008 at 10:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Totally RAD.
Posted by blulitespecial (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 12:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd take the train now if there was an auto transport.Used to be KC,Topeka,and Emporia were pretty important places in the Midwest rail system.Seems the US has been ripping out railroad tracks for 40 years.Most countries place a high value on their rail systems.Plan it right and a bus company and RR could even share a terminal and ticket agents.
Posted by paulkersey (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 7:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Imagine people from Wichita or Kansas City making the same trip in reverse."
Seriously?
I'm all for mass transportation, and I think it would be great if Emporia got Amtrak back, but I HIGHLY doubt ANYONE from Wichita or Kansas City would get on a train to go to Emporia to shop. Let's be realistic here.
Posted by tosie (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
no, probably not for shopping, but people may want to come here to visit family. I would use it if I wanted to come back to Emporia for a short visit. It would save on gas and mileage on my vehicle. I really like the idea.
Posted by citizen (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BRING ON THE TRAIN!!!!
Posted by alfalfa (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In most of Europe you can go nearly anywhere by either train or bus. This would go a long way toward solving some of the energy problems we have. One of the most foolish things our nation has ever done is allow its railroad tracks to be abandoned.
Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Imagine how good this would be for commuters. I know people who have left Emporia because it cost too much to drive to Topeka daily for work. People would probably use it to attend events at ESU or the auditorium also. We would use it to visit family in Wichita and Kansas City. I got to ride a passenger train once in grade school and loved it. I've always wished I could do it again.
Posted by kckansan (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 9:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I live in Kansas City; it's a large City and there a lot of things to do. And one of the posts above questions or suggests that a person like myself wouldn't have any cause to visit Emporia.
My sister used to ride the train there in the '60's when she attended ESU. When I attended ESU in the 70's I didn't ride the train (it had curtailed daytime service) and I remember my dad having to pick me up (a long drive). I would have liked to ride the train, but that wasn't possible.
I have a daughter who is thinking of attending ESU. Will there be a train? I hope so.
I have a son, he is in a scout troop and I am a scout leader. I would love to take the troop by rail to the National Park at Strong City. It would be a wonderful eco-tourism outing, convenient and something I could not do when I was a Scout.
Does it seem strange that I do not talk about taking the troop on a plane to Yellowstone? What's special about Tallgrass? Well it is.
There's plenty of reason and value associated with expanded passenger rail service.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on August 26, 2008 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Went on the Shrine Circus trip eh MadPoet?
Hopefully, if this happens, it won't be like the old Amtrak schedule when it still stopped here, at 3:30am or later. It has a chance to survive and be heavily used if the tickets are reasonable. Amtrak tickets cost more than airfare tickets usually. You used to be able to set your watch by the A-trains coming thru, 3:30 and around 5:25am. They are not as consistent now.
My mother in law took the train home from Emporia when my first daughter was born after she had stayed with us to help my wife for the first week home. The old depot was not exactly the nicest of places to be at that time of the morning. I got my mil loaded on the train and three ladies got off as scheduled by their travel agent. The only phone available to them was a payphone, that had the receiver cord ripped out of it. There was a bar operating in the old restaurant building that used to be open down there, some of the intoxicated patrons were still hanging out in the area hours after it had closed. One guy was loosing his drunk all over the sidewalk that he had passed out on. There were no taxi's patrolling looking for fares(no big surprise for those of us who have lived around here a long time). All four of us heard a domestic dispute close by. We also heard a gunshot fired in the air from the South side of tracks in anger over the "f"-ing train horns, shut the f-up" blam! Needless to say the ladies were terrified. I offered them a ride to the motel that was booked for them, clear across town. I no more than got the final word out and they were piling into my car. I loaded their luggage in the trunk chuckling to myself at them trusting a total stranger dressed in Bib overalls, no shirt, with bad case of bed head and tired eyes. When I got in, they asked why I had stayed around after the train left. I told them there was no way I was going to leave them there alone. They asked about me being there and I told them about the birth of our child. They tried to pay me for the ride which I refused stating that I would hope someone would do the same for a member of my family. After getting them into the motel desk with their luggage, I returned to the car and found a note attached to a $50 bill that said "For the baby".
Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on August 27, 2008 at 9:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
interesting story neighbor. maybe the new train station will be in a better location. didnt someone burn down the last one?
Posted by create (anonymous) on August 27, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I loved your story, neighbor. Gave me goosebumps. Bless you for waiting around for them. I remember that area down there used to be Blaylock's I think. Good breakfasts.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on August 27, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes Blaylock's, couldn't remember the restaurant's name until after I had posted, was a good place to eat everytime I ate there. Yes the old Depot was burned down by vandals S&S. I imagine the ladies let their travel agent have an earful when they returned, I sure would have. I apologized to them, let them know Emporia was for the most part a safe quiet community, not sure I convinced them.
Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
neighbor, the day we left the hospital to go home with a newborn we had to drive through the area where the old depot was burning down, we hadnt heard the news or we would have taken a different route home. the traffic in that area was almost as thick as the smoke from the building. i hope we get the train it will make it easier for my relatives to travel home for visits. they usually reserve their trips home for the holiday season and have to drive through the snow thats between here and the states they live in, a train would be a much better way to travel. maybe the new depot will be in a safer, more visible location. the pick up and drop off times for the trains should be at a more safe and sane hour of the day. you were a good guy looking out for the ladies at the depot.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The only way we'll get rail service again, is if tax money pays for building a new depot or stop station for Amtrak. Remember, they pulled out after we refused to build them a new one back when they were still stopping here.
I'd like to believe that the majority of people in this community would have stayed and made sure the women got a ride to their motel or at least called a taxi for them. I know in the 60's, 70's, and early 80's, I would have guaranteed you that they would have been helped. I can't say the samething for the last 18-20 years. The criminal element and the self righteous-self centered population has grown immensely in Lyon Co. Is that what they mean by diversity? If so, I'll pass thank you.
Posted by orlando (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would love to see Amtrak service here again.
Is there maybe an old depot in a nearby town that could be brought in for a depot, instead of building a new one?
If a new one is built, it would probably be an oversized outlandish one to match the courthouse!!
Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on August 28, 2008 at 7:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
maybe we could use the community build approach and build our own depot?
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