A trip from Olathe to downtown Kansas City without fighting traffic on Interstate 35 may sound far-fetched, but local leaders are now openly discussing whether passenger rail could someday make it possible.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has been looking into commuter rail between Olathe and Kansas City, taking advantage of existing railroad corridors that roughly follow I-35. Lucas told KCTV5 that he has explored the idea since 2020, with interest gaining momentum during the past year and a half.
In Olathe, however, Mayor Pro Tem Dean Vakas is suggesting an even different possibility: light rail.
Vakas says he can envision a future line beginning near New Century Airport, traveling through Garmin’s west Olathe campus and downtown Olathe, and eventually extending toward the site of the Kansas City Chiefs’ planned new training facility. He described light rail as something similar in concept to the KC Streetcar, but designed to travel farther and faster.
There is an important distinction: no Olathe-to-Kansas City rail project has been approved, funded or designed. There isn’t even a formal route yet.
Olathe Mayor John Bacon said commuter rail could provide both transportation and economic benefits, but cautioned that it would also be expensive. Bacon said the city has not yet done enough research to determine whether that kind of investment would make sense for Olathe.
There would be plenty of obstacles. Existing freight tracks are privately owned, agreements would have to be reached with the railroads, and planners would have to determine costs, stations, frequency and who would pay for the service. Previous Kansas City-area rail studies would also need to be updated.
Still, the fact that leaders on both sides of the state line are publicly talking about fixed rail makes this more than just somebody sketching a train route on a map.
For thousands of Olathe residents who make the daily drive north on I-35, the question is an interesting one:
If you could board a train in Olathe and ride directly into Kansas City, would you use it?
Something Different Media Group
