While state officials await word of a $200 million federal grant to make rail improvements for the anticipated Baton Rouge-to-New Orleans passenger route, officials in Gonzales are well ahead of the game.
They have already picked out a downtown site, commissioned a rail station master plan and signed a subsidy agreement with the state. Officials say the route will help the city meet its climate goals while supporting the region’s industrial sector.
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After months of negotiations, city officials have negotiated a ground lease agreement with Amtrak, paving the way for a return of passenger train service along the Gulf Coast.
The city sent that lease to Amtrak on Friday. It also has to be approved by the Mobile City Council.
Final terms have not been disclosed, by city spokeswoman Candace Cooksey told FOX10 News that Amtrak would pay a “nominal” amount for use of part of the parking lot next to the Artur Outlaw Mobile Convention Center. CSX Corp. would build a layover track there. That is where the train would be stored overnight.
The agreement also allows Amtrak to making improvements to the existing platform where the train stop would be.
While state officials still await an announcement for a $200 million federal grant for infrastructure upgrades, Gov. John Bel Edwards has expressed confidence that Amtrak passenger trains will be traveling between Baton Rouge and New Orleans by 2027.
So what would that look like for the business traveler? Final decisions are a ways away, but comparisons to other routes offer clues.
Passenger service for a rail connecting Baton Rouge to New Orleans could start as early as 2027, according to an agreement Gov. John Bel Edwards signed on Thursday, Oct. 26. The governor’s office announced the service development agreement Edwards signed will advance the return of intercity passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Louisiana and Amtrak officials signed an agreement today that lays the foundation for the resumption of passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Gov. John Bel Edwards says the state has secured $50 million to put toward improving the rail infrastructure between the two cities and is awaiting word on a $200 million federal grant. While the latter is not a done deal, Edwards tells Daily Report, he is confident based on his conversations with federal officials that Louisiana’s “compelling application” will be successful and expects the award will be announced before Thanksgiving.
Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards was joined by Department of Transportation and Development Sec. Eric Kalivoda, Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gardner and other officials, to sign a service development agreement that will advance the return of intercity passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
“An Amtrak line connecting Louisiana’s capital to the largest metropolitan area in the state will have immense economic benefits for both cities and the parishes in between,” said Gov. Edwards. “Not only will this service potentially reduce the number of vehicles on the roadways which will result in less congestion, but it will also connect communities through employment opportunities and allow for more transportation options for festivals, sporting events, and concerts.”
The agreement, signed this morning at the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, is a breakthrough for a project that has roots in 2008, when the idea was introduced through a concept study. According to the agreement, passenger service could start as early as 2027.
“This project is just one of many ways Louisiana infrastructure is moving forward to create a better quality of life for our residents,” said Sec. Kalivoda. “This will serve commuters and also expand tourism opportunities by providing a safe, reliable transportation system for our many visitors.”
“Baton Rouge lost passenger rail service in 1969, two years before Amtrak began,” Gardner said.
“This is a step toward correcting a gap in the Amtrak National Network that is more than 54 years old."
“Amtrak is working with states and others across the nation to have a route map that reflects where the population has grown and where people want to travel,” Gardner continued. “In poll after poll, here in Louisiana and nationally, when given the option to take a train rather than drive, the public wants Amtrak and passenger trains as a travel choice.”
The route, which has yet to be named, is planned to have the following stops:
• Baton Rouge Downtown
• Baton Rouge South
• Gonzales
• LaPlace
• New Orleans Int’l Airport
• Jefferson Parish (TBD)
• New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
The planned route is scheduled to take 75-90 minutes from start to finish. The initial plan is for one round trip daily, expanding to two round trips daily later, pending evaluation of operations and potential railroad improvement needs. Additional round trips could be introduced in the future.
"This historic agreement represents a significant step forward in uniting our dynamic capital city, Baton Rouge, with our neighbor, New Orleans,” said Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “It emphasizes our commitment to economic growth and improved public transportation for our residents and commuters along the route. We’re excited to welcome travelers to our future train depot, a link that will further position Baton Rouge as an important hub in southeast Louisiana."
Amtrak will release schedules and fares at a later date closer to the launch of the new service.
Amtrak will use tracks currently in place and owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and CN railways. The tracks, which run along the I-10 corridor, are one of three routes that connect New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The CPKC/CNtracks were chosen because they were the most direct and had less conflict with freight transportation.
Benefits of adding the service include a reliable, safe alternative to driving, environmental quality with less vehicular traffic, economic development near stations, added jobs in multiple sectors, and emergency evacuation availability if needed.
Infrastructure upgrades will begin in 2024 and can include replacing the existing CPKC rail bridge across the Bonnet CarreSpillway near Airline Highway pending the outcome of several federal discretionary grant applications submitted within the last year.
The new route will connect to the New Orleans to Mobile corridor projected to open in 2024. These routes will join the Sunset Limited, City of New Orleans, and Crescent lines in Amtrak’s Louisiana route schedule, all using the city-owned New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal and Amtrak facilities immediately to the west.
The last passenger train between Baton Rouge and New Orleans was the Southern Belle, which a railroad predecessor of CPKC was given permission to discontinue in November of 1969.
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The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $1.4 billion for railroad improvements, a huge expansion of a key funding program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Funded projects will help make passenger and freight service more efficient.
Advocates for passenger rail service and railroad officials gathered in Meridian on Saturday as the Rail Passengers Association held RailNation: Meridian, its 2023 fall advocacy symposium in the Queen City.
The RPA is an organization that advocates for expanded and improved passenger rail service, increasing railroad safety, high speed rail and greater transportation connectivity throughout the United States.
Passenger rail advocates from across the nation will head to the Queen City in October for RailNation: Meridian hosted by Rail Passengers Association.
The RPA is a national organization that advocates for more trains for more people in more places across the US.
During RailNation: Meridian, which is set for Oct. 6-8, Rail Passengers staff will be joined by experts in the field, Amtrak leadership, the Southern Rail Commission, regional mayors and keynote speaker Federal Railroad Administration’s Amit Bose. Members, locals, and rail enthusiasts are all encouraged to attend to learn more about passenger rail expansion and how they can strategically support extensions and new service where they live, work and play.