River Cities (train)
title: "River Cities (train)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["former-amtrak-routes", "railway-services-introduced-in-1984", "railway-services-discontinued-in-1993", "former-long-distance-amtrak-routes", "proposed-amtrak-routes"] topic_path: "general/former-amtrak-routes" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Cities_(train)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox rail service"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | River Cities |
| image | River Cities at Centralia station (2), May 7, 1984.jpg |
| image_width | 300px |
| caption | The River Cities at Centralia in May 1984 |
| type | Inter-city rail |
| status | Discontinued |
| locale | Midwestern United States |
| first | April 29, 1984 |
| last | November 4, 1993 |
| formeroperator | Amtrak |
| start | Kansas City, Missouri |
| stops | 25 |
| end | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| distance | 1014 mi |
| journeytime | 22 hours |
| frequency | Daily |
| trainnumber | 358, 359 |
| class | Reserved coach |
| observation | Dome lounge (Carbondale—New Orleans) |
| gauge | |
| map | |
| map_state | collapsed |
| :: |
| box_width = | name = River Cities | logo = | logo_width = | image = River Cities at Centralia station (2), May 7, 1984.jpg | image_width = 300px | caption = The River Cities at Centralia in May 1984 | type = Inter-city rail | status = Discontinued | locale = Midwestern United States | first = April 29, 1984 | last = November 4, 1993 | operator = | formeroperator= Amtrak | ridership = | start = Kansas City, Missouri | stops = 25 | end = New Orleans, Louisiana | distance = 1014 mi | journeytime = 22 hours | frequency = Daily | trainnumber = 358, 359 | class = Reserved coach | access = | seating = | sleeping = | autorack = | catering =
- On-board cafe (Kansas City—St. Louis)
- Diner-lounge (Carbondale—New Orleans) | observation = Dome lounge (Carbondale—New Orleans) | entertainment= | baggage = | otherfacilities= | stock = | gauge = | el = | speed = | map = | map_state = collapsed The River Cities was a passenger train operated by Amtrak from 1984 to 1993 between Kansas City, Missouri, and New Orleans, Louisiana, via St. Louis, Missouri. It operated as a section of the City of New Orleans and the Mules.
The two trains split in Carbondale, Illinois, with the River Cities continuing 117 mi to St. Louis, where it joined with a Kansas City Mule. For southbound trains the procedure was reversed; the River Cities would split from a St. Louis Mule and proceed to Carbondale, where it joined with the City of New Orleans for the journey to New Orleans. Before the Amtrak era, the City of New Orleans and its nighttime companion, the Panama Limited, had operated St. Louis sections that split in Carbondale.
Amtrak ended the service on November 4, 1993, as part of national cost-cutting measures, and instituted Amtrak Thruway service between St. Louis and Centralia, Illinois (since extended to Carbondale). The only city to permanently lose service was Belleville, Illinois.
Potential restoration
In June 2021, Senator Jon Tester of Montana added an amendment to the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 which would require the Department of Transportation (not Amtrak itself) to evaluate the restoration of discontinued long-distance routes such as the River Cities. The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee with bipartisan support, and was later rolled into President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, which has since been passed by Congress as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
References
References
- (October 22, 1993). "Amtrak to Cut Back Service On 3 Lines to Save $10 Million". [[New York Times]].
- "NARP: November 1993 Hotlines". [[National Association of Railroad Passengers]].
- (June 23, 2021). "Montana's passenger rail authority poised for boost from Tester transportation amendment". Missoula Current.
- (June 16, 2021). "Key Policy Victories in Senate Rail Title". Rail Passengers Association.
- (June 17, 2021). "Senate Commerce Committee's Bipartisan $78B Surface Transportation Bill Advances". Railway Age.
- (August 4, 2021). "What's in the Senate's Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill?". Rail Passengers Association.
- (November 15, 2021). "Biden signs $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, fulfilling campaign promise and notching achievement that eluded Trump". The Washington Post.
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