[think] Connecting the Dots: Bring Amtrak to Wichita
If you look at a map of passenger rail routes across the United States, you might notice something… odd. Sprawling across the prairies, mountains, deserts and coasts are thin red lines of beautiful, scenic railway. They connect DC to New York, Seattle to Chicago, San Diego to San Antonio, Wichita to… wait. Where’s Wichita?
That, at least, was my initial reaction. The next thought to follow was “Oh, Wichita just isn’t a big enough city yet.” I looked closely at the map to see if other cities of similar size and import had been passed by. Minneapolis? Cincinnati? Greensboro? Lincoln? They’re all on the map, too. “Okay,” I thought. “What’s going on here?”
A red line stretches all the way up Texas from Austin to Oklahoma City, and then, abruptly, it stops. There’s a chasm of emptiness (Wichita doesn’t even get a polka-dot!) until the line picks up again… in Newton. The inch of blank canvas almost suggests some previous insult by Wichita to the world. The little hiccup in the red web across the map seems to scream out “You are unworthy, Wichita! You have been punished!” How rude.
For anyone who has ever lost themselves in the grandeur of arches and intercoms, bustle and whistles, the lack of a passenger train in Wichita is a gaping cavity in the heart of a city. Where are the chance encounters? The picturesque cross-country voyages? All romance aside, why do we have to cramp ourselves in seat 27B of flight 876 and get our kicks reading Skymall and watching reruns of CSI whenever we leave town?
You lovers of a slower time and a more peaceful way to travel are not alone. In fact, you’re in very good company.
It appears that somebody at Amtrak has realized the potential of Wichita. There is an existing station, after all, and we are squarely seated in the hub of the continent. An operational rail depot in Wichita could potentially connect every corner of the map to its opposite… and that means faster, more efficient service. What’s more, better business and a rise in railway popularity would mean less pressure on the already suffocating airports across the nation. Rather than build more air traffic super-cities, why not open up a few more railway stations? A train rolling through Wichita would mean less stress and more happy travels for countless families, friends, lovers and professionals.
And what can it do for you as a Wichitan? A line that connects us to Kansas City (and, subsequently, KCI Airport) would mean honest competition for Mid-Continent Airport, which could reduce the cost of air travel out of Wichita. It also means that travelers from around the country will be stopped in the epicenter of the heartland, bringing business to our shops, restaurants, and downtown attractions. A railway means more options, more potential, and more allure. If the ticket prices are feasible and the seats comfortable, what more could we ask?
And let me add one personal note to my proponent argument. My grandparents refuse to fly. The airports scare them, they don’t like people rummaging through their belongings, they hate standing in line, and no seat is comfortable enough for a World War II veteran with a shrapnel wound through his torso. In short, we drive for days to see each other, and the way their eyesight is going, that might become an unreasonable expectation soon.
So for all of you haters of snotty attendants and windows the size of sardine cans, for you lovers of the American Safari, for you with aching backs, or for you with a desire to see the countryside and not the umpteenth airport Starbucks… For you, let me say “Connect the dots, Amtrak!”
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While I agree that we should have passenger service to Wichita, it’s not Amtrak that you should rail at. It’s the KDOT. The money for passenger service comes from the state… Amtrak more or less goes where the rails are laid and the service paid for.
There was even grant money available, and the KDOT drags their heels while Oklahoma and Missouri conspire to link OKC to KC, MO via Tulsa (IIRC), bypassing Wichita.
I haven’t kept track… it’s probably too late for Wichita to get in on that game, which makes it far less likely that bringing passenger service to the ICT will be cost effective.
David Bourbon
We’ve been traveling between Dallas and Wichita regularly this year. It would be nice to have more transportation choices besides $700 plane tickets and six hour drives. And rail is much more energy efficient ($/#/mile) than either of the other options.
Providing rail travel from Wichita to the Kansas City airport will NOT reduce the price of air travel out of Wichita’s airport. Airline economics don’t work that way. If there are fewer passengers flying from Wichita’a airport because they are riding a train to KC’s airport, then the airlines will actually RAISE the price of flights here. The mystical way they price their product (airline seats) is that the more people who fly, the cheaper the tickets. Their cost of providing the product is the same whether the plane is full or not-it doesn’t change. So, the fewer passengers there are on the plane, the more they have to charge to make a profit.
I think that the comment on air travel was aimed more at the passenger than the airline or airport. For a customer, more options means better business. We should be allowed to choose our price (within reason), and flying out of ICT has never, ever been cheap. No single entity should have a monopoly on travel. Also, there is a cap on how much traffic Midcon can manage, and I hate to say it.. but most people choose alternate methods anyway. I don’t blame them.
We bought $49 tickets last Christmas Eve to bring our daughter from Kansas City. She was trying to drive for Christmas, but a blizzard was already blowing. We had to pick her up at the Newton depot at 3:30 am, but the piece of mind it gave us was more than worth it. A Wichita to Lawrence route would be great for students – they could even do homework on the train (or maybe hit the club car). Even wee early morning departures/arrivals are better than none.
I have MANY fond memories of traveling by Amtrak as a kid – thru Colorado in the glass topped car. To California for a huge family reunion. To Ohio to visit “home” and grandparents. I loved the hustle and bustle of Union Station in KC, but by far, my FAVE memories are at the ICT station… it was a place of wonder and beauty. I was heartbroken when Amtrak quit servicing Wichita and devastated when Cox took over the station. Bring back Amtrak and restore the station!!
Bringing Amtrack to Wichita and connecting us to KC, OKC, and or Lawrence would be very beneficial. I have numerous friends and family all over the Midwest and it would be convenient to have other travel options besides flying or driving.
Wichita is a growing city and our transportation department is not keeping up. Midcontinent is over priced, our public transportation is lacking buses, cabs etc. We have a large enough city to where we need more options for travel! So where is our train station at?
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