Amtrak could come back to Baton Rouge

[byrde]

In the weeks and months immediately after Katrina, there was a lot of talk about bringing train service back to the BR/NO corridor. Connecting the cities via Amtrak could really take some of the congestion off of I-10 and Hwy 61.

Read the article below.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2006-0...la-amtrak_x.htm

[tombarnes]

Love it! What a great idea to restore train service. It would be nice to continue the train to Natchez, Vicksburg and Memphis, though I realize that this isn't going to happen. Passenger trains need to be more than an afterthought in this country. This is an excellent start.

[NCB]

Yea, this is great! I really hope to see this happen, because it would work out very well for both cities in the short and long run.

[dan326]

Do you think Baton Rouge will get it's Amtrak back? I know they had it running for a little while,but then the money ran out and FEMA didn't want to pay anymore.

[bluff2085]

I think this is a no-brainer For SE La post-Katrina. BR and NO are 2 very large metros with strong connections to one another economically and socially, and IMO one of the missing links is rail service that can provide transportation to and from these cities quickly and affordably. It would also be nice to have service continuing past BR all the way to Houston, along with another line linking BR back to Amtrack's City of New Orleans line somewhere in Mississippi.

One concern though is the effect the oil discovery off the coast will have on these plans. It seems like the prevailing argument for rail-based transportation has been the soaring gas prices. I heard that immediately after the oil discovery went public, the price of oil dropped 2 dollars a barrell.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

I think it's a great idea. It'd be one giant leap back towards normal for LA.

[byrde]

I think this is a no-brainer For SE La post-Katrina. BR and NO are 2 very large metros with strong connections to one another economically and socially, and IMO one of the missing links is rail service that can provide transportation to and from these cities quickly and affordably. It would also be nice to have service continuing past BR all the way to Houston, along with another line linking BR back to Amtrack's City of New Orleans line somewhere in Mississippi.

I agree that it should be a no brainer. I'd love to be able to park my car in Downtown BR, ride the train to N.O., spend the day and ride back in the afternoon. It would be really cool to be able do so on football Sundays to catch a Saints game.

[dan326]

Baton Rouge might finally just get it's Amtrk back if this new proposal goes through. I hope it does because it is something that is justified considering all the people who commute to New Orleans.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/4536416.html

[dan326]

I was just thinking that we really do need to get Amtrak in Baton Rouge. It's more than just being commutng to New Orleans, if we could get connected to them, we'd be connected to the rest of the nation.

[all2neat]

I'd use it to go to hornets or saints games..

[dan326]

Looks like it's not dead yet.

"Q: Are there any plans to build a rapid rail passenger system between Baton Rouge and New Orleans?

A: Brendan J. Rush, public information officer for the Department of Transportation and Development, said,

[richyb83]

^ I was gonna start a new thread on this and do like a survey or poll. How many people will really use this?? Will it be worth the co$t if it's there is only a limited amount of people riding???

Other larger U.S. Cities have found the going tough with the light-rail for that very reason.

[byrde]

10 years ago, ridership would have been very poor. But with todays gas prices I could see more people using it. It could be very beneficial and I can see it being a packed train at certain times of the year. LSU football dates, Saints Games, Mardi Gras, Essence Music Fest, Jazz Fest, Bayou classic, etc. Baton Rouge could could get a bigger piece of the pie for special events in N.O. by making it attractive to tourist to stay in Downtown BR and using the train to get to events in N.O.

[dan326]

Like I had said before, if we're connected to New Orleans, we'll be connected to the rest of the nation.

Also, this would not be "light-rail" that's only for city transportation, inter-city transportation would be "commuter rail".

[richyb83]

That's sounds really cool Bryde. The ever increasing ga$$ prices make this an even better idea. I would love to see this work!

I think stops mentioned along the way from downtown BR then College Drive?? then to Mall of La. Other stops would include Gonzales/Tanger; LaPlace; Louie Armstrong Int' Airport; to the NOLA CBD.

You are right Dan; 2 different animals. BR needs to get connected. It would be crazy if you wanted to go west toward Houston; only to be diverted to New Orleans.

[BRPJ]

10 years ago, ridership would have been very poor. But with todays gas prices I could see more people using it. It could be very beneficial and I can see it being a packed train at certain times of the year. LSU football dates, Saints Games, Mardi Gras, Essence Music Fest, Jazz Fest, Bayou classic, etc. Baton Rouge could could get a bigger piece of the pie for special events in N.O. by making it attractive to tourist to stay in Downtown BR and using the train to get to events in N.O.

[byrde]

Feds allocate $667,000 to study B.R.-to-N.O. railroad

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded a $667,000 grant to study linking Baton Rouge and New Orleans with a passenger railroad. The grant will go toward a feasibility study that will look at the capital and operating costs, revenue, potential ridership and the environmental impact of rail service, says Karen Parsons, executive director of the Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission. The SRRTC promotes passenger rail service in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. "If we're ever going to have passenger rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, this step has to take place," Parsons says.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/dai...008/sep/29/641/

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting this Bryde; I like the idea of a BR-NOLA connection. Really hope this comes to fruition. That's alot of money$ for just a study?? I hope the study is not wasted money that just says this might not work??

[dan326]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm pretty sure they already did a study a few yeasrs ago that said it would cost $120 million dollars. I hope this happens,like I've said before it's not really so important to attach to New Orleans for New Orleans but to attach to New Orleans so we can have rail access to the rest of the United States.

[all2neat]

I wonder if this could making living in br and working in NOLA or visa versa feasable.. Usually trains go about 90 mph and don't really hit traffic so it could be a quick commute into the city.