The Amtrak Missouri River Runner will add a third daily service starting in April 2026 through June 2026 to accommodate an anticipated increase in travel during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The international tournament will begin in Kansas City next June, with four group stage matches, as well as a Round of 32 game on July 3 and a quarterfinal on July 11.
Taylor Brune, MoDOT communications director, said that in an effort to prepare for high traffic ahead of the games, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission recently approved $1.7 million of general revenue funds for an extra run of the Amtrak River Runner.
The funding was approved as part of an appropriations request to continue that service for three months, Brune said.
The Missouri River Runner connects the state's two largest cities, running twice each day.
"Interstate I-70 is obviously your core connection from Kansas City to St. Louis in one fell swoop," Brune said. "But there are other alternative routes. We'll be working to communicate different ways to get from one side of the state to the other."
The FIFA World Cup is one of the world's most-watched sporting events, and MoDOT says the additional train service will give travelers another option for their journeys.
Last week, British Airways announced it would begin offering four nonstop flights per week next year between St. Louis Lambert International Airport and London Heathrow, also in part because of the World Cup coming to the region.
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