WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Passenger trains are a service Wichita hasn't had in decades. In 1979, Amtrak shut down its services in town, making Wichita now only one of three of the top 50 cities not to offer rail transportation.

"Driving, you're there, you're driving a car, and you have to be mentally engaged in it. I mean, you're just kind of along for the ride. And you get to see the scenery that's different than from the highway," said Wichita residents Kevin and Sandy Schwemmer.

Tuesday, Amtrak will meet with Senator Jerry Moran and other Kansas and Oklahoma leaders to discuss its plan for connecting passenger rail services.

"It's a very exciting time. Those that have followed this closely know that it's been a lot of hurry up and wait for a number of years here, but I think we're making some great progress," said Sedgwick County Commissioner Pete Meitzner.

Meitzner has worked closely with the project over the years and said the meeting is a big step toward making it a reality.

"It just improves the resume of our whole state. You know, the aging population doesn't like to drive as much. Air travel can be complicated. And it's comfortable traveling, but people that have their health, they still want to travel. And it makes it incredibly convenient," said Meitzner.

While there are still many unknowns, Wichita residents like the Schwemmer's are all for it.

"We have friends and family in Oklahoma City and in Dallas, and it would be a great weekend type to just jump on the train and go down there and hang out with them and come back on the train," said Kevin.

"I think it would be fun for families and kids. I don't know, my kids would think it was an adventure," said Sandy.

The meeting Tuesday is just a roundtable discussion to talk about plans. Meitzner said one of the biggest hurdles over the years is funding, which now depends on President Biden's proposed infrastructure bill. The big questions now are will it pass, and if it does, will it still include funding for Amtrak.