Proponents of expanding Amtrak passenger service from Kansas to Fort Worth, Texas, should be elated at the quick attention their effort has garnered from state officials.

The Kansas Department of Transportation announced last week that it would spend $150,000 to $200,000 to study the possibility of linking the Southwest Chief, which currently travels through Kansas and stops daily in Lawrence and Topeka, with the Heartland Flyer, which currently runs daily between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. The study will include a look at extending the Heartland Flyer to Kansas City.

Supporters of the Heartland Flyer extension visited the Lawrence City Commission about a month ago in search of backing for the project. Their specific request was that the city help pressure the Kansas Legislature to pursue the project. Certainly, getting the attention of KDOT is a good first step toward that goal.

It only makes sense for the state to study this possibility. Additional passenger rail options are a valuable service for Kansans facing rising gasoline prices, as well as having the long-term potential to decrease the state’s costs for highway construction and maintenance.

The proposed extension to the south would return rail service to Wichita, which has not had Amtrak service since 1979. It’s not hard to imagine Lawrence residents making good use of a rail route to Wichita if the trains passed through Lawrence at reasonable hours and connected with reliable public transportation in Wichita.

Trains don’t give travelers as much flexibility as private vehicles, but as gasoline becomes more expensive – and perhaps less available – rail travel may become a more attractive choice for many. It’s good to at least investigate whether a modest state investment in passenger rail service could provide an important new travel option in the state.