Mules (Amtrak)
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Mule and St. Louis Mule were a pair of 283-mile (455 km) passenger trains operated by Amtrak
running between St. Louis
and Kansas City, Missouri
as part of the Missouri Service train network. From 2007 these trains used the same track as one other Amtrak route, the Ann Rutledge
. In 2009, Amtrak consolidated these trains under the name Missouri River Runner
.
, which provided a yearly subsidy of $484,000. The Mules supplemented the Ann Rutledge
, which provided a daily round-trip between Kansas City and Chicago
via St. Louis. Contemporary news accounts referred to the combined service as the "Missouri Mule", although Amtrak timetables used the individual names.
The Mule's original schedule included intermediate stops at Kirkwood, Jefferson City, Sedalia and Warrensburg. Amtrak added Lee's Summit and Washington as flag stops in April 1981 on a one-year trial basis; Lee's Summit was retained in 1982 while Washington was dropped late 1981 in favor of Independence.Amtrak reinstated Washington on the October 29, 1995 timetable for another one-year trial period; this time Amtrak retained the stop. Hermann became a permanent stop on September 28, 1991. Trains had previously stopped only during Hermann's annual Maifest and Octoberfest.
Because the tracks are owned by Union Pacific (UP), freight trains have priority over passenger trains. This often resulted in severe delays for Amtrak, such as those seen in May 2007, when the Missouri Department of Transportation blamed UP for the disruptions.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
running between St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
as part of the Missouri Service train network. From 2007 these trains used the same track as one other Amtrak route, the Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge (Amtrak)
The Ann Rutledge was a passenger train service operated by Amtrak running between St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri as part of the Missouri Services brand...
. In 2009, Amtrak consolidated these trains under the name Missouri River Runner
Missouri River Runner (Amtrak)
The Missouri River Runner is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak running between Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center in St. Louis and Kansas City Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. This train route was formerly operated as part of the Missouri Service train network, which included...
.
History
Amtrak introduced the two trains on October 26, 1980, in partnership with the state of MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, which provided a yearly subsidy of $484,000. The Mules supplemented the Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge (Amtrak)
The Ann Rutledge was a passenger train service operated by Amtrak running between St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri as part of the Missouri Services brand...
, which provided a daily round-trip between Kansas City and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
via St. Louis. Contemporary news accounts referred to the combined service as the "Missouri Mule", although Amtrak timetables used the individual names.
The Mule's original schedule included intermediate stops at Kirkwood, Jefferson City, Sedalia and Warrensburg. Amtrak added Lee's Summit and Washington as flag stops in April 1981 on a one-year trial basis; Lee's Summit was retained in 1982 while Washington was dropped late 1981 in favor of Independence.Amtrak reinstated Washington on the October 29, 1995 timetable for another one-year trial period; this time Amtrak retained the stop. Hermann became a permanent stop on September 28, 1991. Trains had previously stopped only during Hermann's annual Maifest and Octoberfest.
Because the tracks are owned by Union Pacific (UP), freight trains have priority over passenger trains. This often resulted in severe delays for Amtrak, such as those seen in May 2007, when the Missouri Department of Transportation blamed UP for the disruptions.