U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran joined a coalition of senators on Thursday calling for Amtrak to preserve Southwest Chief service through Kansas en route to the West Coast.
Roberts and Moran were among eight other senators who penned a letter to Amtrak’s President and Chief Executive Richard Anderson expressing concerns about a plan that would end rail service from Dodge City to Albuquerque. Train service would be replaced with buses on that leg of the trip.
“Replacing train service through rural communities with buses is troubling, particularly for a quasi-governmental entity entrusted with an important public transportation mission,” the senator’s wrote.
“The suspension of rail service along the Southwest Chief route raises serious questions as to whether passenger rail service will be eliminated in rural communities across the country.”
The Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles with stops in in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California. In Kansas, train stops include Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
Meanwhile this week, the Senate tacked an amendment onto an appropriations bill that expressed support for long-distance train service in the United States, including the Southwest Chief.
Democratic Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico introduced the amendment, which also was co-sponsored by Roberts and Moran. It was approved on a 95-4 vote.
“The Chief is an engine of economic growth in New Mexico that connects communities from Raton to Gallup–& we’re fighting to keep it on track long into the future,” Udall posted on Twitter.
The Southwest Chief carried about 363,000 riders last year, down from 367,000 in 2015, according to the Rail Passenger Association.
About 5,200 passengers used the Dodge City station last year and 6,900 used the Garden City station. About 16,000 passengers used the Newton Station.
Amtrak needs an estimated $30 million to $50 million for upgrades – plus $3 million in annual maintenance – on track that’s owned by BNSF but used exclusively for passenger rail service.
Amtrak has said it is studying options that include the long-term operating and capital costs of running the existing service over the entire route and alternate bus and rail-service combinations that connect to the Amtrak network.
