Oxford officials press ahead on Amtrak stop despite rising cost estimates

Oxford city staff told council members on Monday that the long-running effort to secure an Amtrak stop in the city remains active but now faces higher costs tied to updated Amtrak platform standards and site constraints. City staff asked council for direction to continue work on engineering design while they pursue additional funding partners.

The city has pursued an Amtrak stop on the Cardinal line for years, staff said, moving through site selection, grant applications and engineering design. “My goals for this evening are to explain our project history to date, review our estimated cost overruns, and get your input on the direction,” the city project lead said during the discussion.

Council was reminded that an earlier concept called for a roughly 300-foot platform; Amtrak’s current standards require a substantially longer platform. Staff said design changes to meet Amtrak specs have increased estimated design and construction costs. The city’s updated accounting shows additional design engineering of roughly $1.26 million above earlier estimates and a construction increase of about $600,000,…