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<p>During the late 19th Century, Kansas City experienced an unprecedented growth in railroad traffic. A number of railroad lines entered the city from all directions, with no "belt railway" to serve them. In the fall of 1889, the Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad (KCSB) began construction on 11.6 miles of new railroad, extending from 2nd Street and Walnut Street in Kansas City to Air Line Junction, and south to Belt Line Junction. The railroad would be completed in early 1891. An additional mile would be constructed to the Kansas/Missouri border by the Consolidated Terminal Railway of Kansas City (CTRKC) in 1892. The CTRKC would be absorbed into the KCSB in 1892. Approximately five additional miles would be constructed by the Union Terminal Railroad Company (UT) to Argentine, Kansas; completed in 1895. Both the KCSB and UT were sold to the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) in 1902. KCS operated this route as a belt line, and their principal entry into the city. As the line grew in importance, several large yards would be constructed throughout the line. In the early 1980s, portions of the line near the Kansas/Missouri border would be abandoned, including the Kansas River Bridge. Portions of the line in Kansas were later sold to the Kansas City Terminal Railway. In 2022, KCS merged with Canadian Pacific Railway to form CPKC, the current owner of the route. <br></p>
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