The Benefits

Business Impact

Increasing track speed to 80mph from 60, increases profitability. Farmers and ranchers get their goods to market faster and more efficiently. Business travelers traveling by train remain productive - working remotely.

Economic Impact

According to a KU Benefit Study, we would see an economic return of better than 3:1. The Texas Transportation Institute (Texas A&M) reports the current Heartland Flyer passenger train produces $18,000,000 in benefits while costing $4 million per year to operate. (4.5:1 ROI) Revitalizing Economies: Affordable and accessible transportation fuels economic growth. When people can easily and inexpensively visit your community, they bring more than just themselves—they bring their wallets. Lower travel costs mean visitors have extra money to spend, boosting local businesses and creating a ripple effect of prosperity throughout the region. Reducing business travel expenses: Westar Energy spends over $1M/year on employee car travel between Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City.

Personal Impact

Life and Limb Savings Train travel is simply much safer than cars. With nearly 400 deaths and over 60,000 highway accidents/year in the state of Kansas, train travel will save both people and government millions in medical bills and property damage. The National Highway Safety Administration reported that 42,915 people died on the highways in 2021. That works out to be 117 per day. Quality of Life Traveling by train is a more viable/affordable form of transportation for students, the elderly and persons with disabilities. They no longer have to rely on family and friends to drive them long distances. Improve Public Transportation: According to the National League of Cities, the introduction of passenger rail facilitates public transit expansion due to greater passenger load and greater demand.

Fiscal Impact

States that invest in passenger rail on freight-owned tracks see reduced Highway Maintenance costs: In this circumstance, the reinstatement of passenger rail requires an investment in the freight rail system along the corridor. As freight speed increases, some truck traffic will gravitate to the rail system, reducing highway maintenance costs. A ratio from the USDOT website explains the impact of this: a fully loaded 80,000 gross volume weight truck does 9600 times the damage to a highway that a car does. By moving some freight from highways to the rail, you will save measurable highway maintenance dollars.

Benefits

The Questions

With so many benefits to train travel, you might be wondering what could be our challenges? Overcoming myths is our number one challenge, and these myths happen to be the subjects of the majority of the questions that we hear…

Are trains profitable?

Profitable Public Transportation?

Highways with tolls, airports and trains supported with federal and state grants, buses supported with state and municipal monies, etc. are not considered profitable if measured by public support. Oddly, trains get singled out for this requirement. The real value in public transportation lies in enabling economic activity, generating tax revenue and adding local jobs to the economy.

Transportation - Designed for the Public Good:

Highways, airports, and passenger rail systems provide a public service that generates profit and economic growth WITHIN communities and businesses through commerce, economic development, and mobility - not at the toll booth or ticket counter. This economic growth generates tax revenues that justifies government support, which is a direct benefit to society and an indirect benefit to governments.

Why are there late trains?

Some passenger trains are late due to extremely long freight trains where existing sidings are too short for freight traffic to use. This forces passenger trains onto the sidings, in spite of the contractual obligations of the freight railroad to allow Amtrak trains to pass unobstructed. The The Surface Transportation Board, as ruling authority can fix this problem but is shirking it's obligation to the public. This practice is forcing the cost of constructing very long siding extensions onto the public. Kansas had the opportunity a few years ago to end this practice within state borders but chose not to. We encourage you to ask your legislator why.

Who will ride the train?

Business people that want to remain productive during travel time. Workers in outlying communities needing a ride to work. College students going to and from home and school. Young families that want a safer alternative to driving. The elderly and persons with disabilities that cannot drive but can still travel. People that want a cheaper, more convenient way to get to the closest low-cost airport. Tourists that want to get to an event in a larger community without risk of a car accident, or vandalism. People that need medical attention in a bigger city hospital. Car and air travel is not an option in many of these circumstances.

Do we have the population to support a train?

This corridor is home to more than 14 million people. With that kind of population density, this train would have significant ridership: 200,000 passengers per year according to Parsons Brinkerhoff.

Currently, 150,000 to 200,000 people a year travel by train from KC to St. Louis. 80,000 people a year travel the stub end Heartland Flyer route from OKC to Fort Worth. By connecting these large metropolitan areas, the Amtrak Feasibility Study projects ridership between Kansas City and Fort Worth to be at least 174,000 per year. According to Amtrak not only is this number very, very positive but that kind of ridership means a very successful train.

Is there enough capacity to handle passenger trains?

The point of the new Service Development Plan is to determine the upgrades needed, such as double tracking and equipment upgrades.

Why Passenger Rail