Amtrak Demonstrates New Train Route Into Kansas

Amtrak demonstrated a new train route Friday from Oklahoma City to Kansas City.

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Director Mike Patterson said the new stop in Newton, Kansas would serve as the missing piece connecting the train route into Kansas.

"The Newton expansion has been something that's been talked about for several years with the state of Kansas and the state of Oklahoma," he said. "They're going to show what the train ride would look like all the way up to Newton and then on into Kansas City."

The expansion would make continuous travel possible between Ft. Worth and Kansas City. It would also enable train-to-train connections in Newton with routes running between Chicago and Los Angeles through Kansas City and Albuquerque.

"It's just another continuance of the expansion of a transportation alternative by rail, to afford people who would rather travel by rail, those who can't drive or chose not to," Patterson said.

The locomotive, dubbed the Heartland Flyer, has been making trips from OKC to Fort Worth since 1999, and Newton will be the new northern station.

Extending the Heartland Flyer to Newton is an ongoing topic with local, state, and federal officials, as well as Amtrak and BNSF.