JEFFERSON CITY — Along with my Senatorial committee duties in the Capitol, I also serve on regional and statewide organizations. One of those groups is the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC), which is comprised of individuals from Missouri and nine other states who promote rail travel in our region.

The mission of MIPRC is to bring together leaders from participating states to work toward passenger rail improvements, including both current and long-term plans for updates to the Midwest region, coordination of interaction between the region’s local officials, and support efforts made by states’ Departments of Transportation.

Recently, I was appointed chairman of a new committee within MIPRC, to encourage university partnerships. The idea behind this panel is to explore ways MIPRC could assist local colleges and universities who utilize Amtrak to advocate for better passenger rail utilization. My colleagues on this panel and I began work with a conference call in mid-January.

Locally, the Amtrak River Runner joins our two largest metropolitan areas, Kansas City and St. Louis, with two trains in the morning and two in the late afternoon. For many college students along this route, the train is an ideal mode of transportation. With stops along the River Runner route at Independence, Lee’s Summit, Warrensburg, Sedalia, Jefferson City, Hermann, Washington and Kirkwood, catching a ride to school becomes a convenient and safe way to travel.

Last fall, I attended the MIPRC annual convention, where I learned that Missouri ridership has increased 78 percent since 2007, carrying 196,661 passengers during Fiscal Year 2013. In addition to ridership, customer satisfaction grew to an impressive 91 percent, the highest percentage in the nation.

Our next annual meeting will be held in Kansas City in June, and it will be an honor to host this group in our state.

As a passenger rail supporter myself, I’d like to encourage you to think about taking the train the next time you need to travel across the state. For a reasonable fee, you can relax and ride the rails of the Missouri passenger rail system, and enjoy the beautiful sights along the River Runner route. For more information on rail travel in our state, please visit www.morail.org or www.amtrak.com. For general transportation issues or information, visit www.modot.org.