The grant is 100% rural; the
restored track falls outside urban zones. The project should meet the requirements of a NEPA
categorical exclusion and can be fully completed before the end of 2015.
If awarded, the TIGER grant will make a substantial difference to the quality of rail passenger
service in Kansas and south eastern Colorado, arresting the decline in the route since the magic
and romance of the famous Santa Fe Railway’s Super Chief. Speeds have dropped from 90
MPH in 2002 to 60 MPH today and are in imminent danger of dropping again to 30
MPH…slower than a farm tractor. If this decline is not reversed, the train will be terminated or
rerouted. The general public is becoming increasingly aware of this situation; politicians and the
media are building public sentiment for a call to action. The TIGER grant provides the final
piece of a program to reverse the trend, triggering matching contributions from Amtrak, the
Kansas Department of Transportation, and the BNSF Railway. The pooled resources of these
entities, along with matches from local communities, represent a competent team to take on this
challenge.