8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K


                                 CURRENT REPORT
                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
                                  APRIL 6, 2004

                              KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN
               ---------------------------------------------------
               (Exact name of company as specified in its charter)


          DELAWARE                      1-4717                 44-0663509
- ----------------------------   ------------------------   ----------------------
(State or other jurisdiction   (Commission file number)       (IRS Employer
      of incorporation)                                   Identification Number)


                427 WEST 12TH STREET, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64105
               ---------------------------------------------------
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)


                COMPANY'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE:
                ------------------------------------------------
                                (816) 983 - 1303


                                 NOT APPLICABLE
          (Former name or former address if changed since last report)







ITEM 7.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(c)        Exhibits

           Exhibit No.   Document
           -----------   --------
           (99)          Additional Exhibits

           99.1          Press  Release  issued by Kansas  City  Southern  dated
                         April 6, 2004 entitled, "Kansas City Southern Announces
                         First Quarter 2004  Earnings  Release Date,  Conference
                         Call," is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1


ITEM 9.    REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE

Kansas City Southern  ("KCS" or  "Company")  is furnishing  under Item 9 of this
Current  Report on Form 8-K the  information  included  as Exhibit  99.1 to this
report.  Exhibit 99.1 is the KCS news release,  dated April 6, 2004,  announcing
the date,  time and other  relevant  information  regarding the Company's  first
quarter  presentation and conference call of its financial results for the three
months ended March 31, 2004.

The information  included in this Current Report on Form 8-K,  including Exhibit
99.1, is furnished  pursuant to Item 9 and shall not be deemed to be "filed" for
the purposes of Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise
subject to the liabilities of that Section.



SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company
has duly  caused  this  Report  to be signed  on its  behalf by the  undersigned
hereunto duly authorized.


                                                  Kansas City Southern


Date: April 6, 2004                          By:     /s/ Mark W. Osterberg
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                        Mark W. Osterberg
                                                  Vice President and Comptroller
                                                  (Principal Accounting Officer)

EX-99

EXHIBIT 99.1


[GRAPHIC OMITTED]




     DATE:              April 6, 2004

     MEDIA CONTACT:     William H. Galligan,              Phone: 816/983-1551
                        william.h.galligan@kcsr.com


                         KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN ANNOUNCES
            FIRST QUARTER 2004 EARNINGS RELEASE DATE, CONFERENCE CALL

Kansas City Southern  (KCS) (NYSE:  KSU) will report  financial  results for its
First Quarter 2004 on Thursday,  April 29, 2004, prior to the opening of trading
on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

KCS  management  will  discuss  the  Company's   first  quarter   financial  and
operational  performance on a conference  call at 1:00 p.m. EDT, April 29, 2004.
To access the conference call,  shareholders and interested parties should dial:
1-800-955-1795 (U.S. and Canada) or 1-706-643-0096 (International).  A replay of
the  presentation  will be  available  through  May 6,  and can be  accessed  by
dialing:  1-800-642-1687  (U.S. and Canada) or  1-706-645-9291  (International),
Conference ID: 6600002.  The  accompanying  slides to the  presentation  will be
available on the KCS website,  www.kcsi.com  immediately  prior to the telephone
conference.

KCS IS COMPRISED OF, AMONG  OTHERS,  THE KANSAS CITY  SOUTHERN  RAILWAY  COMPANY
("KCSR")  AND EQUITY  INVESTMENTS  IN GRUPO TFM,  SOUTHERN  CAPITAL  CORPORATION
("SOUTHERN CAPITAL") AND PANAMA CANAL RAILWAY COMPANY ("PCRC").

THIS PRESS  RELEASE  INCLUDES  STATEMENTS  CONCERNING  POTENTIAL  FUTURE  EVENTS
INVOLVING  THE  COMPANY,  WHICH  COULD  MATERIALLY  DIFFER  FROM THE EVENTS THAT
ACTUALLY OCCUR. THE DIFFERENCES COULD BE CAUSED BY A NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING
THOSE FACTORS IDENTIFIED IN THE "RISK FACTORS" AND THE "CAUTIONARY  INFORMATION"
SECTIONS OF THE COMPANY'S FORM 10-K FOR THE  YEAR-ENDED  DECEMBER 31, 2003 FILED
BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE  COMMISSION ("SEC")  (COMMISSION
FILE NO. 1-4717). THE COMPANY WILL NOT UPDATE ANY FORWARD-LOOKING  STATEMENTS IN
THIS PRESS RELEASE TO REFLECT FUTURE EVENTS OR DEVELOPMENTS.