WATCH: Ride Worlds of Fun’s new Zambezi Zinger in Kansas City
18 May 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority announced Thursday it has applied for a grant to explore an intercity rail system throughout the metro.
The KCATA said it has applied for a Corridor Identification and Development grant with the Federal Railroad Administration to further study the idea.
The FRA program helps support long-term development of passenger rail systems across the country.
The proposed intercity rail corridor would include 15 counties in the metro and extend from Topeka in the west to Independence in the east, including Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums.
To the north and south, the rail corridor would go from DeSoto and Olathe in Johnson County, as well as Lee’s Summit in Jackson County, to Kansas City International Airport in the Northland.
“We’re thrilled to take a lead in making an intercity rail system a reality for the Kansas City Metro and our bi-state communities,” Frank White III, president and CEO of KCATA, said in a release.
“A passenger rail system would not only create convenience and better accessibility for so many residents in the area, but it also would provide environmental benefits by reducing energy consumption and emissions with less cars on the road.”
KCATA did not release any information on when a study on this potential rail corridor could start if the organization is approved for the grant.
Earlier Thursday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also announced the city will issue a request for proposals to increase transportation from the airport to downtown and the stadiums for the 2026 World Cup.
The mayor said they’re thinking about just about everything, but he wouldn’t speculate about the potential cost.
“There is already an east-west streetcar study, as you might have heard about, from the 39th Street corridor largely at the state line out to the Arrowhead Stadium area,” Lucas said.
“We’re also looking at enhanced, fast bus, rapid transit particularly with that airport to downtown link.”