President Biden’s infrastructure bill includes $80-billion for passenger rail service upgrading, restoration, or establishment.
This means the long dreamed-about plan to connect New Orleans and Baton Rouge with rail service could finally become a reality.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, rail service to the capital is listed among 30-rail lines under consideration.
“It was a really, really good day,” said John Spain, executive vice president of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and a longtime advocate for passenger rail service told the paper.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but this is the closest we’ve ever been.”
Stops on the line would include the Electric Depot on BR’s Government Street, Gonzales, La Place, and at Armstrong International Airport. Trains would continue right into downtown New Orleans to Union Passenger Terminal.
Travel times are expected to be one hour in each direction.
Round trip tickets are tagged at $15.
According to a 2014 rail report it would take $262-million to get rail service underway, $62-million of it would go to replacing the wooden trestle across the Bonne Carre Spillway.
Amtrak is said to focused on restoring or establishing rail service in pairs.
Locally, that means starting linking Mobile and Baton Rouge with New Orleans.
“Louisiana is uniquely situated to get this done,” said Knox Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Rail Commission, spoke to the publication.