LOCAL

Amtrak service could expand in Kansas. Topeka leaders say the changes may boost the city's economy.

Blaise Mesa
Topeka Capital-Journal
Topeka City Council unanimously approves resolution supporting expanded Amtrak access in Topeka.

Theresa Turner once spent three days on an Amtrak train traveling from Colorado to Washington. Turner developed her love for trains after taking a trip to Kansas City with her father.

“The thing that I like best is the big car that is made out of glass,” said Turner, a Topeka resident. “People sit there. They’re on their phones. They’re writing, and they’re working on their computers, but you can look out and see the scenery.”

Turner isn't alone in her love for trains. A bipartisan bill is working its way through the U.S. Congress could expand rail access for many.

The Topeka City Council unanimously approved a resolution urging federal funding be included in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill to extend Amtrak’s service in Kansas and Oklahoma.

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Council member Sylvia Ortiz is pushing for the return of the ticketing agent to Topeka’s station. She said she heard ridership is down in Topeka but asked, “How can you get tickets if nobody is down there?"

A full-time agent was a request made by the council’s resolution.

The Heartland Flyer departs from the Amtrak station in Oklahoma City, Okla., earlier this month.

Extending the Heartland Flyer route and more

The resolution also called for an extension of the Heartland Flyer route between Oklahoma City, Okla., to Newton, Kansas, more funding for a second frequency of the Northern Flyer from Kansas City to Fort Worth and for funding of all maintenance on the Southwest Chief route, which travels through Topeka.

The Heartland Flyer travels from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas, making five stops in between. A proposal in the Amtrak Connect Us plan would link Oklahoma City and Wichita for the first time since 1979.

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The proposal would establish new Amtrak stations in Kansas communities Wichita and Arkansas City and Oklahoma towns Ponca City, Perry, Guthrie and Edmond.

The full proposal would add 39 routes and bring new service to more than 160 communities nationwide.

Topeka residents Jackie Alexander likes to go to the Oklahoma City rodeo. Expanded rail access would make travel easier for Alexander, who gets discounted tickets because he worked for the Rock Island Railroad.

Newton and Oklahoma City do have Amtrak service that connects now, but it is a 43-hour train ride that requires a trip to Illinois and back.

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Another option for public transportation are buses.

“I have never run into an angry person on the Amtrak like I have with (buses),” said Turner, the Amtrak fan from Topeka. “I believe that is because Amtrak offers more space.”

Amtrak connectivity could benefit Topeka

Topeka city manager Brent Trout said the city council urges through its resolution the U.S. Congress to invest in rail. The Kansas congressional delegation appears to be in support of the rail recommendations.

Trout said he has heard complaints about Amtrak’s access in Topeka. Trips to some major cities, like Chicago, only leave the city at 4:40 a.m.

President Joe Biden offers his granddaughter Finnegan Biden a hand as she steps off a train car during an April event to mark Amtrak's 50th anniversary at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Proposed changes wouldn’t add a new line to Topeka, though more Amtrak connectivity in Kansas could bring more people to the city. Trout said he hopes the proposed changes also lead to more frequent changes coming to Topeka.

Jim Parrish, president and CEO of Parrish Hotel Corp., which manages the downtown Ramada, said the Ramada is across the street from Topeka’s Amtrak station. He said travelers staying overnight used to be a “pretty nice little piece” of business until ridership numbers dropped.

Parrish said that is likely due in part to the pandemic, but he said expanded service has an economic impact as well.

“The city is wise to look at this and to do whatever it can to continue the availability of this transportation here,” he said. “It just, by its nature, causes more economic activity.”