DE SOTO, Mo. – Amtrak plans to add one more stop to its Texas Eagle train route right after its St. Louis station.
The city of De Soto, Missouri, in Jefferson County has been approved for a new passenger rail stop on Amtrak’s Texas Eagle line. The De Soto City Council recently approved a funding plan for a new Amtrak stop.
De Soto Mayor Kathy Smith expects the stop will give more than 100,000 people around Jefferson County better access to board an Amtrak train. “After many years of work, we’re thrilled that this has become a reality,” said Smith.
City Manager Todd Melkus said resuming train passenger in De Soto for the first time in decades will be an economic boost for the area.
“We’ve been without service for more than 50 years, and now we’re back,” Melkus said.
“We’re a railroad town, with Union Pacific’s shops located here. The timing is perfect. Our Main
Street has been renovated and is growing rapidly. We have people in a three-county area ready
to ride the train, and we’ll be ready for them.”
The next step in bringing the Amtrak route to De Soto for good is working with Union Pacific to schedule when trains arrive. The trains already go through the De Soto community, but the new stop will be between ones in St. Louis and Arcadia, Missouri.
The Texas Eagle line runs from Chicago through St. Louis to San Antonio. The second leg of that line runs from San Antonio to Los Angeles.