Missouri River Runner
 A Missouri River Runner at Kansas City in 2010. | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail | ||||
| Locale | Missouri | ||||
| Predecessor | Mules | ||||
| First service | January 28, 2009 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak | ||||
| Ridership | 490 daily 178,915 total (FY15)[1] | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Kansas City St. Louis | ||||
| Stops | 8 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 283 mi (455.44 km) | ||||
| Average journey time | 5 hours, 40 minutes | ||||
| Train number(s) | 311, 313, 314, 316[2] | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Track owner(s) | Union Pacific Railroad | ||||
| |||||
The Missouri River Runner is a 283-mile (455 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak running between Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center in St. Louis and Kansas City Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. Four trains operate daily (two round trips) on this route: 311 and 313 westbound, and 314 and 316 eastbound.[2]
History
The Missouri River Runner route was formerly operated as part of the Missouri Service train network, which included the Ann Rutledge, Kansas City Mule, and the St. Louis Mule.
The new route name was announced in January 2009 as part of the "Name The Train" contest held by the Missouri Department of Transportation.[3][4] The winning name was submitted by Keith Kohler of Glendale, Missouri. Service between St. Louis and Kansas City is financed primarily through funds made available by the Missouri Department of Transportation.[5]
In November 2009, Amtrak and Union Pacific completed an $8.1 million 9,000 feet (2,700 m) siding near California, Missouri, designed to improve performance along the route. The siding, funded by the state of Missouri and the Federal Railway Administration, was credited with helping improve Amtrak's on-time performance.[6][7] Due to these improvements, on time performance has increased from less than 70% to 95%.[8][9]
During fiscal year 2015, the service carried a total of 178,915 passengers, a 5.5% decrease from FY 2014's total of 189,402 passengers.[1] The trains had a total revenue of $5,108,200 during FY 2015, a decrease of 4.4% from FY 2014's total of $5,341,229.[1]
As of October 1, 2013, provisions of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 prohibit Amtrak from using its federal operating grant to share the cost of the Missouri River Runner route; the 2008 act prohibits cost-sharing on any route shorter than 750 miles (1,210 km).[10]
Equipment used
The Missouri River Runner consists of the following:[11]
- One GE Genesis P40DC or P42DC locomotive
- Three to five Horizon Fleet or Amfleet I coaches
- One Amfleet I or Horizon Fleet cafe/business car
Route
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Amtrak FY15 Ridership & Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ a b Amtrak (October 14, 2012). "Amtrak Service in Illinois and Missouri" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-06-07.
- ^ Amtrak - Missouri River Runner
- ^ MoDOT - Name The Train
- ^ "Missouri Amtrak trains get a new name". USA Today. January 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Miller, Kermit (December 8, 2009). "State officials dedicate new rail to AMTRAK". KRCG. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ "New siding eliminates Amtrak, UP bottleneck in Missouri". ProgressiveRailroading.com. December 9, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ "Missouri River Runner". Amtrak. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ "AMTRAK DELIVERS A 100 PERCENT ON-TIME PERFORMANCE DURING BUSY HOLIDAY WEEK". Missouri Department of Transportation. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ "Amtrak Expects to Continue Route Between St. Louis, KC". Washington Missourian. May 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
...effective Oct. 1 Amtrak won't be able to use its federal operating grant to help share the cost of routes that are shorter than 750 miles with states, due to the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, which Congress passed in 2008.
- ^ "MISSOURI RIVER RUNNER". TrainWeb. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
External links
- "Missouri River Runner". Routes > Midwest Train Routes. Amtrak.