RENO COUNTY— Another round of funding has been approved for the rail line served by Amtrak’s SW Chief.

According to a media release from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Tiger Grant will be used for rehabilitating track giving the route that passes through Kansas another shot in the arm as its advocates try to bolster the train line uncertain future.

The money, $16 million from a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant, means about three-quarters of the money needed for track upgrades for the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route have been secured.

It’s a sigh of relief for the Southwest Chief’s main proponents, who were fearful about the prospect of securing federal dollars under a White House that has signaled a distaste for long-distance rail. It was four years ago that Amtrak and BNSF threatened to move the train off of the current line and on to the main Transcon route through Oklahoma and Texas.

The move would have eliminated service to Hutchinson, Garden City and Dodge City along with southeast Colorado and northern New Mexico. Cities, counties and states along the route have been chipping in to match funds for the grant including Hutchinson which has regularly provided matching funds for the grants.

While the funding is good news it may be a moot point as the Trump administration has also sent a strong message about its stance toward Amtrak’s long-distance rail routes — like the Chief’s — by proposing cuts in Amtrak’s budget for the lines.