http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-903234.mp3
Kansas City, Mo. – The Kansas City, Missouri city council made it formal Thursday: They endorse the idea of a regional rapid rail transit system proposed by Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders.
There was no mention of Clay Chastain's latest petition drive for a competing Kansas City only light rail plan as the council endorsed Sanders' tri-county transit system proposal. Sanders says his can be done less expensively by routing commuter rail trains along existing unused or under-used right-of-way.
Councilman John Sharp emphasized that Sanders' plan is still in its formative stages.
"The final plan may be very different than the one proposed, but we have to go through these steps to get the alternatives analysis to determine what the final plan will look like."
The resolution supports the regional rail concept and the effort to get federal funding for the alternatives analysis, but does not commit any funding to the Sanders rail plan.