Tagged: Amtrak

Police say an eastern Missouri man has died after he was struck by an Amtrak train.

Police say the 20-year-old man was walking along railroad tracks in Pacific Wednesday night when he was hit by the train. He was walking home from a restaurant to his home about three blocks away when he was hit.

About 50 people were on the Amtrak train headed from Kansas City to St. Louis. No one aboard the train was hurt.

The man's name hasn't been released.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was on board Friday when an Amtrak train reached speeds of 111 mph for the first time along a Chicago to St. Louis route. The train hit the mark on a stretch between Dwight and Pontiac before braking back to normal speeds of 79 mph. By the end of November, paying passengers will get to experience the higher speeds on that initial section between Dwight and Pontiac. 

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) wants public input on a $1.3 billion plan for improving and expanding rail service across the state.

The 20-year plan covers both passenger and freight service.   Passenger service recommendations include more round trips between St. Louis and Kansas City and pursuing new passenger routes across Missouri.  Those could include new Amtrak routes from St. Louis to Springfield, Kansas City to Springfield, Hannibal to Quincy, Illinois, and Kansas City to Omaha, with a stop in St. Joseph.