Amtrak completes Sedalia, Mo., improvement

Written by jrood

Completion of a decade-long, $1.6 million match project to stabilize and improve a historic Missouri Pacific Railroad station - and make it more accessible for passengers with disabilities - is being celebrated by Amtrak and Sedalia Downtown Development Inc. (SDDI), with Septagon Construction and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Amtrak passengers for the four daily Missouri River Runner trains now can use a platform compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and a just-renovated station waiting room. The newly remodeled station on the north side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks is better able to accommodate all passengers and features a new entrance and parking lot, with a modern waiting room and new restrooms. The City of Sedalia and its residents contributed nearly a third of the project funds, funding also came from Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funds administered by MoDOT. Other federal, Amtrak and MoDOT funds have also been provided to transform the building into an intermodal facility with OATS transit. The Sedalia station has seen significant ridership growth, with a 12 percent increase since last September 11. Since the beginning of the Amtrak fiscal year on October 2010, Missouri River Runner ridership has risen by 15 percent, with a 20 percent jump last month.

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