HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The work that has gone into line improvements for Amtrak’s Southwest Chief in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico is showing up on the train’s schedule.

While it certainly doesn’t make getting up in the middle of the night any easier to catch the train, the eastbound Chief now comes in 42 minutes earlier than before. Until last week, the train came into Hutchinson at 2:19 a.m. The train now comes into Hutchinson at 1:37 a.m., provided it’s on time.

Since no new track work was done east of the city, the westbound train still comes into Hutchinson at 3:20 a.m.

The new schedule reflects the increase in train speeds in Kansas and Colorado due to the upgrades that came from federal transportation grants.