ST. LOUIS 鈥 A third daily Amtrak passenger train run between 最新杏吧原创 and Kansas City is expected to begin as soon as next April, in time for the World Cup matches expected to draw throngs of soccer fans to the western Missouri city next June and July.
Details, such as a starting date and run times, still are being worked out by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Amtrak and Union Pacific, the freight railroad that owns the tracks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still talking to Union Pacific about how we鈥檙e going to do it,鈥 Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said Monday.
Kansas City is among 16 North American cities selected to host the 2026 World Cup international soccer tournament next summer.
Local leaders expect 650,000 people will travel to the KC region for the six World Cup matches to be played at Arrowhead Stadium, with the first one slated for June 16. The last match will be a quarterfinal on July 11.
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KC2026, the regional nonprofit in charge of area World Cup preparations, said the projected economic impact is expected to be $650 million.
The Missouri Legislature earlier this year appropriated $1.7 million to run a third daily Amtrak run between next April and the end of the current fiscal year June 30, MoDOT said. That is in addition to $17.5 million for the regular twice-daily service for the full fiscal year.
MoDOT spokeswoman Taylor Brune said in an email that MoDOT is asking the Legislature next year for $1.7 million more to continue the third daily run through the summer 鈥渢o ensure Amtrak can accommodate the anticipated increase in ridership鈥欌 during the World Cup matches.
After that, the rail service is expected to return to twice a day.
Amtrak now runs daily cross-state service leaving downtown 最新杏吧原创 at 8:10 a.m. and 3:11 p.m. and leaving Kansas City at 4:05 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
The train makes stops in Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg and in the Kansas City suburbs of Lee鈥檚 Summit and Independence on its way to downtown Kansas City.
MoDOT says ridership on the cross-state route, called the Missouri River Runner, increased 8.3% in the fiscal year ending June 30 鈥 to 197,434 from 182,294. That was the highest ridership since 2001, MoDOT said.
The extra Amtrak service is among various steps taken by Missouri state and local governments to prepare for Kansas City鈥檚 World Cup involvement, including special training for police and other first responders.
Meanwhile, with only about 65,000 hotel rooms within a 100-mile radius of the city, some Kansas City-area communities are loosening or considering relaxing regulations on residents renting out their houses for visitors.
One of the first was the suburb of Parkville, which temporarily will allow additional rentals between May 1 and July 31.
Another Missouri suburb, Belton, is expected to end its longstanding ban on short-term rentals soon.
In another World Cup-related move, the Legislature passed a bill allowing Missouri bars to stay open 24 hours a day and serve alcohol until 5 a.m. from June 11 to July 19, during the tournament.
Buddy Lahl, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, said he does not expect bars to stay open 24 hours a day during the entire World Cup period. Lahl, who helped craft the language of the law, said some establishments may host late-night watch parties on Fridays and Saturdays for certain matches.
The Kansas City Star contributed to this report
