JEFFERSON CITY — With an eye on making rail travel safer, Missouri transportation officials are turning a historic $50 million earmark from the General Assembly into lights and safety gates at 27 unprotected road crossings on three Amtrak routes in the state.
Another 17 mostly rural crossings will be closed to traffic, potentially drawing opposition from local communities or private landowners who may have to travel longer distances to get around the rail line.
In an , the Missouri Department of Transportation said the so-called passive crossings would be transformed in the coming five years to prevent collisions between the passenger trains and vehicles.
“These changes are critical to address safety along these passenger rail lines in Missouri,†said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Patrick McKenna. “We look forward to working with the railroads and the communities who own these local roads to work through and finalize plans and agreements to make these safety improvements.â€
People are also reading…
The announcement came just a day after the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report on last year’s fatal Amtrak derailment in Mendon, Missouri, that showed a crossing where the train hit a dump truck was steep and poorly designed.
The crossing didn’t have any lights or signals to warn that a train was approaching.
The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the rear right side of the truck near Mendon. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. The train had 12 crewmembers and 271 aboard.
The crash killed four people and injured 146 others.
During the press conference, officials held a moment of silence to honor the victims of the June 27 crash.
Gov. Mike Parson said the derailment was a “wake-up call for all of us.â€
“We’ve got to step up our game to make things safer,†said Parson, who has made infrastructure improvement a key plank during his administration.
Although there are an estimated 1,400 crossings in Missouri where there are no gates or lights, the state is focusing its efforts on the three Amtrak routes in the state.
Those include the Southwest Chief, which runs from Chicago to Kansas City, the Texas Eagle, which goes through ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Poplar Bluff en route to San Antonio, and the Missouri River Runner, which operates between ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Kansas City.
Among those at the announcement were Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the NTSB, and Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose.
“Today really is the result of a partnership,†Homendy said. “It’s very rare that everyone comes together to improve safety.â€
“Missouri will benefit for years to come,†added Bose, who said Missouri’s investment in crossing safety is a model for other states.
In January, Parson asked lawmakers to approve $35 million in spending for the work. But with a massive, post-pandemic budget surplus, the Legislature sent him a budget with $50 million.
That’s a huge jump from normal years. Missouri typically budgets about $1.5 million annually for rail safety improvements from a 25-cent state motor vehicle licensing fee. In addition, MoDOT typically gets about $6 million in federal funds to work on crossings.
That level of funding improved about 20 crossings each year.
McKenna acknowledged that the state did not pump enough money into the safety program.
“We haven’t kept pace,†he said.
Among the proposed closures is one in Centertown west of Jefferson City that has seen chronic backups due to trains stopping and blocking the roadway for lengthy periods of time.
On the Texas Eagle route, MoDOT is calling for a handful of closures in Butler County near the Arkansas border.
Four crossings would be closed in Chariton County where the Southwest Chief runs, including the scene of last year’s collision near Mendon.
In ºüÀêÊÓƵ, gates and lights will be installed on Dock Street near the riverfront north of downtown. On nearby Buchanan Street, only flashing lights will be installed.
Missouri is ranked 12th for the most train accidents between 2018 and 2021, a figure that reflects the state’s status as having the 11th-largest number of railroad miles.
In all, Missouri has 3,311 public rail crossings with about 50% of them equipped with active lights or gates or both.
“These changes are critical to address safety along these passenger rail lines in Missouri,†McKenna said.