Completion of a decade-long project to stabilize and improve an historic Missouri Pacific Railroad station—and make it more accessible for passengers with
disabilities – is being celebrated today by Amtrak and Sedalia Downtown Development Inc. (SDDI), with Septagon Construction and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). Amtrak passengers for the four daily Missouri River Runner trains now can use a platform compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and a just-renovated station waiting room, following a ceremony with Mayor Elaine Horn, SDDI Director Meg Liston and representatives of Amtrak, MoDOT and Septagon.

The newly remodeled station on the north side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks is better able to accommodate all passengers and features a new entrance and parking lot, with a modern waiting room and new restrooms.  While the $1.6 million project was underway for the last three years, Missouri River Runner passengers used a temporary facility across the tracks. The City of Sedalia and its residents contributed nearly a third of the project funds, with more than $810,000 also coming from Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funds administered by MoDOT.  Other federal, Amtrak and MoDOT funds have also been provided to transform the building into an intermodal facility with OATS transit.

The Sedalia station, which also serves the nearby attractions of Katy Trail State Park and the annual Missouri State Fair, has seen significant ridership growth.  For the 12 months ending last September, 11,136 passengers began or ended their trips in Sedalia, a 12 percent increase from the previous year, despite the disruption caused by the construction project. Service by the Missouri River Runner (Trains 311, 313, 314 & 316) is operated by Amtrak under a contract with MoDOT with two daily round-trips between St. Louis and Kansas.