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(rshsdepot) Amtrak to Remove All Staff from Two Missouri Train Stations

Amtrak to Remove All Staff from Two Missouri Train Stations
Columbia Daily Tribune

Apr. 1--The Amtrak office in Jefferson City is getting less personal.
Starting tomorrow, Amtrak's passenger rail stations in Jefferson City and
Kirkwood will be unstaffed. That will force passengers to reserved seats
through Amtrak's Web site or a toll-free number. Amtrak is also adding a $5
surcharge to all intra-state trips in Missouri.

Amtrak, which makes two daily round trips between St. Louis and Kansas City,
had requested $6.2 million from the Missouri General Assembly to help
operate the service. Lawmakers provided $5.8 million, leaving a $400,000
shortfall.

The Missouri Department of Transportation said that Amtrak expects to save
about $80,000 this fiscal year by eliminating two staff in Jefferson City
and Kirkwood.

"We regret having to make these changes but we have to cut costs to keep the
trains running," said Jan Skouby, MoDOT's railroads administrator.

Even though the Jefferson City office will be unstaffed, Skouby said that
arrangements are being made to keep it open to passengers during the day
until at least 4:30 p.m. The state Department of Natural Resources owns the
building.

In a statement, Amtrak said the $5 surcharge is needed to generate
additional revenue. "Since the surcharge may impact ridership, however, it
is unclear exactly how much revenue will be raised," Amtrak said.

MoDOT is encouraging passengers to buy reserve seat tickets either through
www.amtrak.com or through 1-800-USA-RAIL. Customers can buy tickets from the
conductor on a cash-only basis if seats are available.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #628
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org