Cities as far-flung as Trinidad, Dodge City, and Lamy joined their efforts in recent years to keep the iconic Southwest Chief Amtrak route running.
Jesse Paul reports that a "group of small, sleepy towns in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico banded together in the past three years after Amtrak warned it might be forced to end the Chief's iconic service through their communities."
The warning came with a $200 million price tag for track repairs on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line that runs the Amtrak route. In the unlikely event of that funding materializing, "officials were plotting to reroute the beloved Chicago-to-Los Angeles train into Oklahoma and Texas," according to Paul.
A coordinated effort between rural towns in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico, worked, however, by "began pressing their state governments, digging into their pockets and applying for millions of federal grant dollars to prevent the line from leaving for better track."
And in the past few months, the miracle seems to have taken hold, as a $15 million federal grant came through in October, making it the the second such grant in two years. That means "the train will keep rumbling through the foreseeable future," according to Paul.
The article includes anecdotes from residents of the cities along the Southwest Chief line, as well as some data about the economic significance of Amtrak lines in rural communities. In some places, for instance, Amtrak is the only form of public transportation.
FULL STORY: Rural Colorado, Kansas and N.M. have saved Amtrak's Southwest Chief

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico
An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes
Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels
Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions