A third frequency? We've just barely managed to prevent permanent service reduction to one. We won't be getting the second train back for another month, sooner than I expected, and the provision only lasts through the end of the year. Despite how incredibly hard the local politicians along the Runner's route fight for it, Missouri just doesn't seem like a rail friendly state, to put things mildly. The former governor regularly short changed Amtrak, and the state still owes a decent chunk of debt to the railroad. Dog bless MODOT and their bewildering optimism, positivity and work ethic, but golly, I can hardly imagine a third Runner frequency, let alone any other significant passenger rail development in the state.
You'll never find a bigger champion for Show-Me passenger rail than myself, but the current situation is still bleak. The Runner's long-term future remains uncertain and the Texas Eagle is in a very concerning state--not to mention the all too recent attempts to mutilate the SWC. It's gonna take a LOT to get Missouri and its people, let alone its government, to properly understand passenger rail and its benefits well enough to truly consider more routes. Basically the only real reason the Missouri River Runner even still exists is because traffic on I-70 is horrific. As much as I would love to restore the old Frisco routes, the I-55 corridor is just too easy of a drive for most people, and the BNSF Cuba Subdivision is too twisty and hilly for a train to even come close to average travel times on I-44. Even a dedicated tourist excursion train would be shaky, as that's been tried here before with quite limited success.
All things considered, the fact that MODOT has any reason to even suggest more service makes me cautiously optimistic. I plan on making some trips to Hermann and Washington and maybe even KC later this summer, finally, so hopefully I'll have much more to report then.
