Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Missouri Looks To Improve Rail Service Between St. Louis, Kansas City, Will Seek Federal Money

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Railroad lines in Gasconade County could see improvements to boost speed and schedule reliability as Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced Tuesday the state will apply for nearly $1 billion in federal railroad funds. 

The money would improve existing lines between St. Louis and Kansas City and be used for planning of a high-speed rail between the two cities.


If granted, about $373 million of the federal funds would be used in the immediate future for significant improvements and upgrades to rail equipment and infrastructure, and would complement the high-speed rail project already underway in the St. Louis to Chicago corridor, the Governor's office said. Another $600 million would be used over the longer term to complete necessary planning and design for building the separate, dedicated high-speed line across Missouri, and for purchasing necessary properties.

“The design, planning and construction of this project would create high-paying jobs in communities across Missouri over the next several years, and provide the necessary resources to prepare for construction of a dedicated high-speed passenger line,” Gov. Nixon said. “It would be a transformative step for Missouri, both in terms of the jobs created and in developing this mode of transportation between our state’s two largest metropolitan areas and the cities along the route, including the state capital.”


“This is an exciting opportunity in terms of both transportation and economic development that we will not let go by,” Gov. Nixon said. “We will submit an extremely competitive application and work aggressively to turn these funds into new jobs and economic growth here in Missouri.”
 

The Missouri Department of Transportation will submit the application to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.


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