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Washington Evening Journal
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Amtrak station project chugs along
Updates in phase two of Amtrak project expected to complete in fiscal year 2025
MT. PLEASANT — Updates are on their way to the Mt. Pleasant Amtrak station as crews begin phase two of construction.
With a rich history stretching back to its origin in 1912, the Mt. Pleasant station has provided a stop for many travelers making their way across the Midwest. Despite many changes in transportation, the station remains active to this day with Amtrak reporting over 8,400 riders in fiscal year 2023 with a ticket revenue of $890,037.
Overtime the needs of these riders have changed and received the support of the American government for equal opportunities to use the railroad.
In response to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Amtrak states that they developed an ADA Stations Program to bring stations served by Amtrak into compliance with ADA and better service to passengers with disabilities, “in the shortest time frame and most integrated and efficient way possible.”
While Amtrak wishes to accomplish this goal as efficiently as possible, it has already taken some time.
The project began in November 2020 with the intent of renovating the interior of the building, parking areas, and platforms. These platforms stretch across three city blocks and touch street crossing at North Main, North Adams, and North Lincoln Streets. While Amtrak’s initial plans did not include working on the pedestrian crossing, when the City of Mt. Pleasant approached them about working together to improve accessibility on the sidewalks, they chose to work with them.
Amtrak began phase two of this project at the Mt. Pleasant station over this last fiscal year. The project will provide two new platforms, walkways with lighting and signage and upgrades to the station entrances with an estimated completion in fiscal year 2025.
Currently, Amtrak operates four trains per day in Iowa as part of two long distance routes. The California Zephyr runs daily on a route that goes from the San Francisco Bay Area to Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Omaha, and Chicago. The Southwest Chief route runs from Los Angeles to Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Topeka, and Chicago.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com
