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Reply to East to West Ride with Amtrak return
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Biker Chick 515 from Topeka, KS on 4/2/2021 12:08:12 PM:
Is it possible to ride the entire trail from Clinton to Machens and return to KC via Amtrak? If so, how do you get from Machens to the train station and which train station am I looking for? The Amtrak website is messed up and you can't see the entire RiverRunner schedule in one place. Thanks for your help

 
k on 4/2/2021 2:10:36 PM:
Access to Machens via the trail may still be difficult or impossible as a result of 2019 flooding damage, I believe. That said, the easternmost Amtrak stations in Missouri are in the city of St. Louis and in the suburban city of Kirkwood. The trail doesn’t intersect with either station, but you can bike to either from the trail; depending on where you cross the Missouri river, this could be a ride of 17-25 miles. Most of these routes will be on streets rather than protected trails or paths. Taxis or rideshares can also transport you from the trail to either Amtrak station. I suggest Google Maps’ bicycling and public transit views to help you plan.

 
Eric Peters from Chesterfield on 4/3/2021 10:49:28 AM:
St Charles to Machens was opened as of last fall.

 
Mark from Lee's Summit on 4/3/2021 11:52:58 AM:
The 2019 flood damage around Machens was repaired last summer and that section of the Katy Trail is in the best shape it has ever been. If you absolutely have to ride all the way to Machens, then the Downtown St. Louis Gateway Station is your best bet instead of the Kirkwood train station. I have posted detailed directions from Machens to the Downtown St. Louis train station on the Fans of the Katy Trail Group on Facebook, but you do have to be prepared for some on street riding. In order to start your trip in Clinton, you have to either get a shuttle or backtrack because your only Amtrak station options are Lee's Summit or Sedalia (Sedalia is directly on the trail and Lee's Summit requires an 8 mile on street ride to get from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill where you can take the Rock Island Trail connection to the Katy at Windsor).