Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple said Thursday that President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan would bring a strong chance of returning passenger rail service to the city.
Whipple said at his weekly news conference that the city has been working with Amtrak for several years to return service from Newton and Wichita south to Oklahoma City and Texas. He said that would help the city’s economy by providing connections to other markets and allow people to travel to Wichita for events and activities.
Amtrak issued a response to the infrastructure plan that would propose over 30 new passenger routes, more than 20 enhancements to existing routes and 20 million more riders each year. The proposal could also mean new service to cities like Las Vegas, Nashville, Columbus and Phoenix.
