PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Amtrak improvements along the route of the Southwest Chief through Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico are underway. The Pueblo Chieftain reports that EVRAZ Steel will provide the 11,000 tons of rail needed between Las Animas, Colorado and Pierceville, Kansas. The $8.25 million contract was celebrated Monday by a group of elected officials, steelworkers and others in Pueblo. Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace says the rail replacement has already begun in western Kansas. A $12.5 million grant was awarded last year to upgrade about 50 miles of track in western Kansas and eastern Colorado. Pace says the states have applied for a similar grant this year. The 11,000 tons of steel used for the first leg of the project will be manufactured in Pueblo.
