Missouri Amtrak Service

Missouri DOT is requesting money to study:

• A third KC-St. Louis frequency
• Extension from Quincy to Hannibal
• Extension (presumably) from KC to St. Joe's
• A new route KC -- Springfield, MO

https://fox4kc.com/news/modot-wants-to- ... ringfield/

Other than a new station is needed in St Joe, this isn’t a bad idea. It’d be nice if flag or commuter stops were made at Parkville, Farley, and Weston.

Can you tell the historic CB&Q is the local stretch of track for me?

More, but no new ground covered: Trains.com

Missouri officials seek funding for additional ‘River Runner,’ other new Amtrak service
...
The state DOT is asking Gov. Mike Parson (R) to include the request in his coming budget proposal to help expand the St. Louis-Kansas City service, as well as add trains between Kansas City and Springfield, Mo; Kansas City and St. Joseph, Mo.; and an extension of the existing Chicago-Quincy, Ill., Illinois Zephyr-Carl Sandburg operation to Hannibal, Mo.
...

What would be the planned route between Kansas City and Springfield?

And also, I’m surprised they haven’t brought up Branson given its proximity to Springfield. Seems like a no brainer given the overall popularity of it.

Steamguy73 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2023 2:16 pm What would be the planned route between Kansas City and Springfield?

See the MODOT 2012 Rail Map…

And also, I’m surprised they haven’t brought up Branson given its proximity to Springfield. Seems like a no brainer given the overall popularity of it.

Got the bucks to build a line from scratch? TTBOMK, Branson no longer has a rail connection to the outside world.
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The former MoPac line that ran from KC to the Texas Eagle line (via Branson) is still supposedly in use by the Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad.

Unless that line has been shuttered due to a lack of service recently, Branson is still connected by rail in both directions

But it would be a problem to connect it with Springfield. There isn’t a connector that would allow for trains to operate from Springfield to Branson without stopping and changing directions.

What a damn mess of wiggleworms Missouri has for railroads. Is there a 20-mile segment of tangent track on that whole map?

It definitely shows the line to Branson. But also the ridiculous of thinking about its "proximity to Springfield" in any rail sense, since a train from KC would have to go up both ends of a Y to get to both towns. To make the 45-mile journey, you'd have to retrace your steps 30 miles to Aurora, then go 50 to Branson., nearly doubling mileage, all on track winding like a river.