Louisianians have long complained about a lack of regionalization. Baton Rouge and New Orleans have long seemed like disparate cities, but new plans are in place to connect the two and foster a long-term business and tourism partnership.
WWL’s Tommy Tucker spoke to John Spain, Executive Vice President of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, about the past and future of the Amtrak line and how he hopes this will help to connect the two major cities within the state.
Spain emphasized to listeners that rail service used to connect the two Louisiana cities decades before before Hurricane Katrina, allowing an ease of travel that fostered tourism and business.
“There used to be a passenger connection between our two cities back into the late 60’s and early 70’s, and that service was terminated in the early 1970’s, and we’re trying to get it back,” noted Spain.
“The Department of Transportation actually has funding now where they’re actually studying it and consultants are working on plans about what it would look like,” Spain adds. Ultimately, it took the cooperation of governments across three states to bring the rail route to completion.
Spain told WWL that while the commute time may not be much shorter than actually taking a drive, the convenience and ease of travel are what make the trip an experience when riding a train along the coast.
“You can get up and walk around, there’s wifi available so you can be productive if you’d like, there’s food and beverages for passengers to enjoy, so it’s a wonderful experience that’s better than dealing with traffic, and it’s predictable,” Spain went on to add, noting that train departure and arrival times are historically dependable.