- Joined
- Jan 13, 2007
- Messages
- 307
Today was the return of the second Missouri River Runner service. I rode the second River Runners from Jefferson City to Kansas City that was scheduled to leave at 10:50 a.m., hung out in Crown Center for an hour and half, and returned on the train that left Kansas City at 4 p.m. Amtrak and the cities and towns on the route made the restart a big deal. The westbound train was 25 minutes late arriving in Jefferson City largely because there were local events at each station stop. Two Amtrak staff, one of whom was Mark Magliari (Senior PR Manager), got out at each stop to meet with the folks who were welcoming the train. In Jeff City the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, three state legislators, and the mayor were present. The Chamber handed out water and cookies to everyone who was getting on the train. There was also newspaper and TV coverage Missouri River towns welcome back two round trips daily of Missouri River Runner. There were similar groups in Sedalia and Warrensburg on the westbound trip, and in Lee's Summit eastbound.
Because the train was 20 minutes late arriving in Jeff City, the reporters stood on the platform talking to the legislators and folks representing the city. Everyone was on message about the importance of the second round trip. They talked about estimates of the economic impact of a second round trip. One state representative mentioned the importance of train service to people that don't drive and the need to provide transportation. As you can see from the article, the community representatives were on message. There was a lot of enthusiasm about people riding the train to visit Jefferson City. They discussed the importance of the second train and the return on investment. The reporters asked question about repairs to the building housing the Jefferson City station which is tied to the budget for Missouri State Parks, the owners of the building.
The westbound train was 1/2 to 3/4 full. No freight trains, so no delays beyond the longer stops at each station. The eastbound train was less than 1/2 full and delayed about 25 minutes because of three freights. No one got on or off in Warrensburg and only a few in Sedalia. Several people were boarding in Jefferson City, which from my previous experience was the pattern for the afternoon train from Kansas City with a lot of people returning to St. Louis from Jeff City, Hermann, and Washington. The conductor and other crew made several announcements welcoming people back and mentioning that this was the first run of the restored service. They were using two Amfleet coaches and an Amfleet cafe car / business class. No more Horizon cars. The wifi worked. The food in the cafe car has improved a little with the addition of a "fresh fruit" cup and a vegan tamale. The trip was close to on time, about 50 minutes longer than it would take me to drive, and it is great to see some excitement around Amtrak in Missouri.
Because the train was 20 minutes late arriving in Jeff City, the reporters stood on the platform talking to the legislators and folks representing the city. Everyone was on message about the importance of the second round trip. They talked about estimates of the economic impact of a second round trip. One state representative mentioned the importance of train service to people that don't drive and the need to provide transportation. As you can see from the article, the community representatives were on message. There was a lot of enthusiasm about people riding the train to visit Jefferson City. They discussed the importance of the second train and the return on investment. The reporters asked question about repairs to the building housing the Jefferson City station which is tied to the budget for Missouri State Parks, the owners of the building.
The westbound train was 1/2 to 3/4 full. No freight trains, so no delays beyond the longer stops at each station. The eastbound train was less than 1/2 full and delayed about 25 minutes because of three freights. No one got on or off in Warrensburg and only a few in Sedalia. Several people were boarding in Jefferson City, which from my previous experience was the pattern for the afternoon train from Kansas City with a lot of people returning to St. Louis from Jeff City, Hermann, and Washington. The conductor and other crew made several announcements welcoming people back and mentioning that this was the first run of the restored service. They were using two Amfleet coaches and an Amfleet cafe car / business class. No more Horizon cars. The wifi worked. The food in the cafe car has improved a little with the addition of a "fresh fruit" cup and a vegan tamale. The trip was close to on time, about 50 minutes longer than it would take me to drive, and it is great to see some excitement around Amtrak in Missouri.
Nice to know you can once again do a Day trip on the River Runner from St Louis to Kansas City like we did during the St Louis Gathering.
