Missouri River Runner
The Missouri River Runner is a 283-mile (455 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak running between Gateway 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]
 A Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, MO in 2010. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Service type | Inter-city rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Missouri | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Mules Ann Rutledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First service | January 28, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ridership | 490 daily 178,915 total (FY15)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start | Kansas City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stops | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| End | St. Louis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance travelled | 283 mi (455 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average journey time | 5 hours, 40 minutes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Train number(s) | 311, 313, 314, 316[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On-board services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class(es) | Coach and Business | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seating arrangements | Airline-style coach seating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catering facilities | On-board café | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | Horizon and Amfleet I coaches Siemens Charger or GE Genesis locomotives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) (average) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track owner(s) | Union Pacific Railroad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
The Missouri River Runner route was previously served by the Missouri Mules (known as the Kansas City Mule westbound and the St. Louis Mule eastbound) and the Ann Rutledge under the Missouri Service brand. The Missouri Service, in turn, ran along the former main line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Several of MoPac's St. Louis-Kansas City trains continued onward to Omaha and Denver. Missouri Pacific was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1983.
When Amtrak took over nationwide passenger service in 1971, the route became the western leg of the National Limited, which originated in New York. This was the first passenger train on the route to originate at a point east of the Mississippi River. It was the successor of the famed Spirit of St. Louis, which was extended to Kansas City after Amtrak's formation and renamed later in 1971.
When the National Limited was canceled in 1979, the only train serving the St. Louis-Kansas City corridor was the Chicago-Kansas City Ann Rutledge. Missouri officials pressed for the introduction of the Mules in order to maintain and improve service between St. Louis and Kansas City. Over the ensuing years of state subsidy, additional station stops were established at Washington, Hermann, Lee's Summit and Independence.
The Ann Rutledge had previously been part of both the Missouri Service and Illinois Service, but had its eastern terminus cut back to St. Louis in 2006. This gave the St. Louis-Kansas City route two daily round trips on a schedule similar to the last pre-Amtrak MoPac service. The Chicago-St. Louis State House connected once per day with the Ann Rutledge to continue through service from Chicago to Kansas City.
In 1984, Amtrak's Jefferson City depot and ticket office was moved from the former MoPac station to a renovated historic building east of the depot but closer to the Missouri State Capitol. It was hoped the relocated station would allow tourists and others easier access to the state government buildings. Jefferson City is not on an interstate highway; the nearest airport is in Columbia. The revived station stop at Hermann was instituted in similar fashion to encourage use of Amtrak for access the city's popular German festivals.
In 2008, Amtrak and MoDOT decided to merge the Mules and Ann Rutledge into a single route. The name of the new route 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; it reflects the fact that the route largely parallels the Missouri River. The other finalists were Missouri Rail Blazer, ShowMeMO, Truman Service and River Cities Corridor. The service 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 Railroad 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] By 2020, the State of Missouri owed Amtrak $6.5 million in unpaid bills in addition to that year's contract amount for continued service.[11]
One daily Runner round trip connects with the Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service, successor of the State House.
Equipment used
The Missouri River Runner consists of the following:[12]
- One Siemens Charger locomotive, starting in December of 2017
- Three to five Horizon Fleet or Amfleet I coaches
- One Amfleet I or Horizon Fleet cafe/business car
Route
See also
References
- "Amtrak FY15 Ridership & Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- Amtrak (October 14, 2012). "Amtrak Service in Illinois and Missouri" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-06-07.
- Amtrak - Missouri River Runner
- "MoDOT - Name The Train". Archived from the original on 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- "Missouri Amtrak trains get a new name". USA Today. January 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- 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.
- Crowley, Brendan (25 January 2020). "State owes Amtrak millions". News Tribune. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- "MISSOURI RIVER RUNNER". TrainWeb. Retrieved 22 October 2010.