USA: Amtrak has signed an agreement with Louisiana’s Department of Transportation to develop a long-planned inter-city 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 Governor John Bel Edwards when the service development agreement was signed on October 26. ‘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.’
Studies were initiated in 2008, and it is now envisaged that the services will start running in 2027. The passenger trains would use CPKC and CN tracks along the I-10 corridor, which was selected as being the most direct route with the least conflict with freight services.
Infrastructure upgrades are expected to begin in 2024. These would include replacement of the CPKC bridge across the Bonnet CarreSpillway near Airline Highway. Applications for federal discretionary grants have already been submitted.
The train would serve Baton Rouge Downtown, Baton Rouge South, Gonzales, LaPlace, New Orleans International Airport, Jefferson Parish and New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal End-to-end journey time would be 75 to 90 min. The initial plan envisages one round trip each day, increasing to two trips subject to the evaluation of operations and potential route upgrading. Additional services could be introduced in the future.
‘Baton Rouge lost its passenger rail service in 1969, two years before Amtrak began’, said the passenger operator’s CEO Stephen Gardner. ‘This is a step toward correcting a gap in the Amtrak national network that is more than 54 years old.’
