(DODGE CITY, Kan.)—
Southwest Kansas communities are fighting to keep Amtrak. Dodge City joined Garden City and Hutchinson in seeking funding to preserve the railway in Kansas.Amtrak has threatened to bypass parts of Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico if $100 million in repairs aren't made to tracks it uses. But those states have previously stated they cannot commit the money to maintain the tracks at this time.
Dodge City officials say last year 18-thousand passengers used Amtrak service in Kansas. If service stops, people would have to travel as far as Newton to catch a ride. "Just utilize other forms of transportation that are available, so it would certainly be a loss because it's in rural Kansas, where transportation options are very, very important," said Dodge City Public Information Officer Jane Longmeyer.
