Here's what Amtrak service through Springfield could look like

An Amtrak route through Springfield is among the options featured in a final report the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) produced outlining its vision for future railway coverage across the country.

As part of an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study that resulted from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, the FRA considered several daily long-distance passenger routes, including some that were previously discontinued, those that run on a nondaily basis as well as completely new routes — which is where Springfield gets a mention. The study is conceptional and not a proposal for service.

Springfield is one of the stops along a proposed route connecting Dallas/Fort Worth to New York via Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. According to a presentation at the study's final meeting in June, the conceptual route would stretch 1,907 miles and take about 44 hours to travel the full way. The conceptual service overview for the route shows the train arriving in Springfield at night, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The study shows that 5.8 million people would be served by this route, 630,000 of which would be people in rural areas that are transportation disadvantaged.

How soon could Springfield get passenger rail service?

Turning the vision into reality would be both costly and time-consuming. The full route is estimated to cost $4.5 billion to $5.9 billion to set up and another $98 million to $138 million in annual operating costs.

"If they were to be developed further, it will be many years away and would require substantial involvement by numerous stakeholders as well as significant public investment," FRA spokesperson William Wong said via email. "The study is meant to set forth a set of potential options for what could occur in the future, not necessarily what will happen."

The Dallas/Fort Worth to New York route received one of the highest priorities for implementation out of the 14 preferred routes rated based on levels of complexity, benefits and costs. It is one of the longest routes proposed but also the second most expensive. Further analysis and identifying funding would be necessary after the study to advance the route further.

More:Here's what to know about MoDOT's proposed Amtrak expansion to Springfield, Branson

Local leaders also find value in the proposal. At Monday night's Springfield City Council meeting, Councilman Craig Hosmer suggested the city communicate its support for bringing Amtrak to Springfield. With consensus, the council directed city staff to draft a letter to officially express support of future Amtrak plans to those who could influence the process moving forward.

The FRA will finalize the study and submit a final report to Congress later this year. After that, the study will be a resource for future passenger rail planning. To see the other proposed routes and information from past FRA meetings, visit the long-distance service study website at www.fralongdistancerailstudy.org.

This is not the first effort to connect Springfield to the nation's rail system. In the fall, the Missouri Department of Transportation applied to the Corridor Identification and Development Program to request creation of a new corridor from Kansas City to Springfield and Branson. However, the project was not selected for a grant that could have provided up to $500,000 to prepare the plans.

Springfield has not been served by passenger rail since 1967, when the Frisco Meteor train ceased operation.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].