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):
                                 MARCH 14, 2005

                              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
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               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)


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


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

Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ]  Written communications  pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting  material  pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17
     CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ]  Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to Rule  14d-2(b)  under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]  Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to Rule  13e-4(c)  under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))




ITEM 1.01 ENTRY INTO A MATERIAL DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT

     On March 14,  2004,  the Board of  Directors  (the  "Board") of Kansas City
Southern ("KCS" or the "Company") approved an amendment and restatement of KCS's
1991 Amended and Restated  Stock Option and  Performance  Award Plan to prohibit
the repricing of options  awarded under such plan. The 1991 Amended and Restated
Stock Option and Performance Award Plan (as amended and restated effective as of
March 14, 2005) (the "1991 Plan") includes an amendment to the provisions on the
powers of the  Committee (as defined in the 1991 Plan) to prohibit the Committee
from, without the prior approval of KCS stockholders,  amending the terms of any
option to reduce  the option  price,  cancel any option or grant a new option in
its place if the effect is the same as if the cancelled  option had been amended
to reduce the option  price,  or amending the plan to authorize the Committee to
take any such action.

     On March  14,  2004,  the  Compensation  and  Organization  Committee  (the
"Compensation  Committee") of the KCS Board granted awards of restricted  shares
of KCS common  stock to certain  participants  in the 1991 Plan,  including  the
Chief  Executive  Officer,  certain of the four other  most  highly  compensated
executive  officers in 2004 and the current KCS Chief Operating  Officer and the
current  principal  accounting  officer.  The following  description  is a brief
summary of the material terms and  conditions of the restricted  share grants to
such officers listed below. This summary is not intended to be complete,  and is
qualified in its entirety by  reference to the form of  Restricted  Shares Award
Agreement  included as Exhibit  10.1 to this report and  incorporated  herein by
reference.

     The awards and the  restricted  shares award  agreement  are subject to the
terms and  conditions of the 1991 Plan.  Subject to early lapsing and forfeiture
provisions,  or  acceleration by the Committee,  the  restrictions on the shares
received by such executive officers will lapse on March 14, 2010.

     If the grantee reaches the age of 55 and retires and has completed at least
five  years  of  service  with  the  Company  or a  subsidiary,  then  upon  his
retirement,  for  every  consecutive  12-month  period of  employment  completed
beginning  on the  grant  date  and  ending  on  the  date  of  his  retirement,
restrictions  will lapse on one-fifth of the number of such  restricted  shares,
and any unvested shares will be forfeited. Restrictions on such shares will also
lapse upon a termination due to the grantee's  death,  Disability or a Change in
Control (as defined in the 1991 Plan). In the event of a termination  other than
as described above,  such restricted  shares will be forfeited,  and the grantee
has agreed to repay to the Company  all  dividends,  if any,  paid in cash or in
stock with respect to such forfeited restricted shares.

     Each of the following  executive  officers received the following number of
restricted shares:



                                                                                

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
NAME                                                                               SHARES OF RESTRICTED STOCK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Michael R. Haverty, President and Chief Executive Officer                                       40,000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Ronald G. Russ, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer                            20,000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Jerry W. Heavin, Senior Vice President - International Engineering of KCSR                      10,000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Jay M. Nadlman, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary                                4,000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
Arthur L. Shoener, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer                         30,000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------
James S. Brook, Vice President and Comptroller                                                   8,000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------

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ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(C)       EXHIBITS

          EXHIBIT NO.               DOCUMENT

          (10)                      MATERIAL CONTRACTS

          10.1                      Form of Restricted Shares Award Agreement


                                    SIGNATURE

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


                                          Kansas City Southern

Date: March 18, 2005                    By:        /s/ James S. Brook
                                           ------------------------------------
                                                     James S. Brook
                                             Vice President and Comptroller
                                             (Principal Accounting Officer)