Amtrak announced full service will resume July 18 on the Missouri River Runner after funding was approved by the Missouri General Assembly and signed by Gov. Mike Parson.
Community representatives along the route are coming to the stations this Monday to thank leaders for the funding and to celebrate the restoration of twice-daily service.
By again offering both morning and afternoon departures from St. Louis and Kansas City, Amtrak customers can make day-trips from Missouri’s two biggest cities to and from Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee’s Summit and Independence.
A pre-pandemic study of the Missouri River Runner found the service generates more than $200 million in annual economic impact in Missouri. It also supports more than 1,250 jobs in communities across the state.
Amtrak operates this service under a contract with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). The state’s Highways and Transportation Commission, the General Assembly and Gov. Parson will be thanked for restoring the pre-pandemic service levels as Train 311 traverses the state with Amtrak representatives and makes stops at the various stations.
New railcars debuted in Missouri in May 2022 on Trains 318 & 319. Trains 311 & 316 are expected to have these cars later this year. The new American-made cars are built specifically for passenger travel in the 21st century, with each railcar outfitted with ADA compliant aisles and restrooms, free Wi-Fi, power and USB ports at all seats, reading lamps for each seat and increased bicycle storage.
The Missouri River Runner service also provides access to national Amtrak routes at the St. Louis and Kansas City terminals.
“We appreciate the endorsement of our Missouri River Runner service at the state and local levels, and we will work hard to regain the ridership momentum we had before the pandemic and the service reductions,” said Ray Lang, Amtrak vice president for state-supported services. “With new locomotives in the past five years and new railcars making their debuts across our Amtrak Midwest network, this summer is a great time for us to showcase our service in the Show-Me state.”
