Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City’s summer spotlight is expected to stretch far beyond the stadium, and Missouri’s passenger rail system is preparing for the crowds that will come with it.
Amtrak is adding extra railcars to the Missouri River Runner service as Kansas City gets ready to host World Cup matches this summer. The move is meant to give travelers more seats and more flexibility as visitors from across the country and around the world move through Missouri during one of the biggest sporting events on the global calendar.
The added capacity will begin by June 15 and remain in place through July 12, covering the World Cup match period in Kansas City. According to Amtrak, the extra cars are being transferred from Illinois and Michigan and will be placed on both daily roundtrips between St. Louis and Kansas City.
Together, the changes will increase capacity on each train by 25%.
The Missouri River Runner is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Transportation, and state officials said the expansion is part of a larger effort to give residents and visitors more ways to travel during a busy and highly visible stretch for the region.
Read also: Jury takes just 90 minutes to convict Missouri kingpin in huge multi-state PCP conspiracy
“Missouri is proud to welcome visitors from around the world during these World Cup matches, and these additional train cars are key to providing them multimodal options around our state,” said MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger.
“We’re thankful to our partners at Amtrak, Illinois and Michigan to help provide this convenient service to our residents and guests during such a monumental event.”
Read also: Kansas City program connects World Cup visitors with growers beyond the city’s stadium spotlight
Amtrak officials also pointed to cooperation among Midwest states as a key reason the added service is possible.
“Our Amtrak Midwest states are working together to deploy the state-owned fleet to provide the best service to our customers,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell.
“Providing this expanded capacity while Missouri plays host to a worldwide audience was a priority of our state leaders and our customers, and we’re thrilled to bring that to life.”
Read also: Kansas City names Andrew Kling as first chief communications and engagement officer
The Missouri River Runner connects St. Louis and Kansas City across a 283-mile route, stopping in Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee’s Summit, and Independence.
Westbound Train 311 leaves St. Louis Gateway Station daily at 8:10 a.m. and reaches Kansas City at 1:50 p.m. Train 319, which originates in Chicago, departs St. Louis at 3:11 p.m. and arrives in Kansas City at 8:51 p.m.
Read also: Sacklers forced to pay up: Missouri wins huge $91 million share in historic opioid crisis settlement
Eastbound Train 318 leaves Kansas City Union Station at 8:40 a.m., reaches St. Louis at 2:20 p.m., and continues to Chicago. Another train departs Kansas City at 4:05 p.m. and arrives in St. Louis at 9:45 p.m.
Riders can plan trips through moriverrunner.com. More information about Amtrak service is available at Amtrak.com, through the Amtrak mobile app, by calling 800-USA-RAIL, or at staffed stations in St. Louis and Kansas City.
