Congressman Troy Carter kicked off his “Building a Better Louisiana Infrastructure Tour” by highlighted new funding for rail and transit projects that will benefit in the next year from the billions of federal dollars that Louisiana will receive thanks to the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Congressman Carter stated, “Louisiana is set to receive at least $7 billion in new investments in roads, bridges, transit, rail, flood protection, and more from this infrastructure bill. It’s time now to move Louisiana forward with modern day rail that strengthens our community bonds, jump starts our economy, and makes our state more unified.”

LA DOTD Secretary Shawn Willson said, “I am truly excited about the resources made available by the bipartisan bill. There will be billions of dollars available based on the merit of projects and Louisiana stands to benefit from connecting our economies with passenger rail, not just between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, but also connecting New Orleans to Mobile, and Shreveport/Bossier City to Meridian and Dallas.”

SRC Vice President John Spain said, “Last week Canadian Pacific, the future owner of the train track between New Orleans and Baton Rouge said they want to run the train on those tracks. Passenger rail service will provide jobs, serve as a critical evacuation route during times of disaster, and connect north and south Louisiana.”