Rail passengers rally for Heartland Flyer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Amtrak supporters Monday called on state lawmakers to provide funding to keep Amtrak's Heartland Flyer operating and to extend the rail service into Kansas. <br/><br/>About 100

Monday, April 11th 2005, 2:45 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Amtrak supporters Monday called on state lawmakers to provide funding to keep Amtrak's Heartland Flyer operating and to extend the rail service into Kansas.

About 100 rail passengers and city leaders rallied at the state Capitol and urged the Legislature to expand the service that currently runs a daily route from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said about 300,000 people have ridden the Heartland Flyer since the service began in 1999, and he says ridership increased 20 percent last year.

But federal funding for the service ends in September, and it costs $3.9 million a year to operate.

Amtrak supporters want to extend the service north to Newton, Kan., where it would connect to Chicago, Kansas City and the West Coast. Proposed new stops in Oklahoma include Edmond, Guthrie and Perry.