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Southern High-Speed Rail


richyb83

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Alot of these pro-rail types here are hysterical and in complete denial. They so badly want to have a rail setup like the northeast but refuse to acknowledge that it just won't work here.

Why won't it work here? Let me ask you this question; what makes our cities different from the cities in the northeast and is that difference a positive or negative on our culture, cities, and economies?

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If they decide to go ahead with this project, u just have to give it a chance. It may work, or it may not, but just at least give it a chance......

Exactly, won't be surprised if it doesn't work, if it is built. It would likely be functional by the time the BR metro is 1 million+, so EBR, Ascension, Orleans, and Jefferson Parish have a higher population/density. And if an upgraded bus system ever catches on.

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Why won't it work here? Let me ask you this question; what makes our cities different from the cities in the northeast and is that difference a positive or negative on our culture, cities, and economies?

I think we need to "walk" before we can run figureatively and literally. We are in no way ready to be like the cities in the northeast, much less places like austin texas. How about using the 100 million to totally make Baton Rouge kick ass, like wider sidewalks, bike paths like the one proposed from the siegen marketplace along the river all the way to OLOL hospital. HOw about connecting downtown, LSU , the medical complex, maybe blue bayou and the big mall with some sort of light rail. Once, Baton Rouge gets its act together, then you can think about hitting it with a big project.

Make people able to bike and walk to work in Baton rouge and then we can talk to connecting it to other walk and bike friendly cities.

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Some good ideas yall :thumbsup:

For a long time I have said a bike-trail/walking path should go along the Bayou Duplantier urban watershed...connecting LSU/University Lake with Pennington Biomedical Research Campus/Perkins Rd. X'treme Sports Park...that could connect to Perkins Rowe; Siegen MarketPlace; OLOL; etc...

It still trips me out how some older neighborhoods in BR have no sidewalks...Old Goodwood just did some nice bike/sidewalks along Seven Oaks Ave. So many more sidewalks are needed; at least all the new Green Light Projects have sidewalks.

It would be cool to have a Gulf Coast connection from Houston; BR; NOLA; Mobile; joining the East Coast system in Jacksonville.

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Some good ideas yall :thumbsup:

For a long time I have said a bike-trail/walking path should go along the Bayou Duplantier urban watershed...connecting LSU/University Lake with Pennington Biomedical Research Campus/Perkins Rd. X'treme Sports Park...that could connect to Perkins Rowe; Siegen MarketPlace; OLOL; etc...

It still trips me out how some older neighborhoods in BR have no sidewalks...Old Goodwood just did some nice bike/sidewalks along Seven Oaks Ave. So many more sidewalks are needed; at least all the new Green Light Projects have sidewalks.

It would be cool to have a Gulf Coast connection from Houston; BR; NOLA; Mobile; joining the East Coast system in Jacksonville.

we need to get a little of these cities characteristics before we start trying to connect ourselves with NOLA:

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-most-walkable-cities-2011.html

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Some good ideas yall :thumbsup:

For a long time I have said a bike-trail/walking path should go along the Bayou Duplantier urban watershed...connecting LSU/University Lake with Pennington Biomedical Research Campus/Perkins Rd. X'treme Sports Park...that could connect to Perkins Rowe; Siegen MarketPlace; OLOL; etc...

It still trips me out how some older neighborhoods in BR have no sidewalks...Old Goodwood just did some nice bike/sidewalks along Seven Oaks Ave. So many more sidewalks are needed; at least all the new Green Light Projects have sidewalks.

It would be cool to have a Gulf Coast connection from Houston; BR; NOLA; Mobile; joining the East Coast system in Jacksonville.

It would be nice if you could get around the entire metro, excluding WBR, Iberville, etc, with only bike/walking trails. For example, why just stop in south Baton Rouge, extend it into northern Ascension and Livingston Parishes.

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No. You guys are all correct. I'm going to run out and buy bike stock on Monday morning. It's only a matter if time before tons and tons of people are biking to work.

Sorry for not seeing the light and daring to have my own thought.

Thats right, because that is exactly what we said and all...

How dare you have an opinion!

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I apologize for the double post but this is a new idea and I wanted to boost it up on the forum.

IF passenger rail is established to New Orleans, and commuting numbers increase due to ridership numbers, and the population increase along the route in suburban areas to either city, would a BR-NO CSA form? Or a formally recognized region. Not to mention the I-12 corridor and the passenger rail that was mention by the CPEX I believe, which would roughly follow Florida and I-12 from downtown to Livingston, Covington, and Slidell.

Are there any benefits that BR would reap? CSA numbers would surpass 2 million, there's now one population region that has both the state government, large and prestigious private and black universities, one of the worlds largest port systems and the countries largest, one of the worlds most famous tourist attractions, two emerging film industries, and whatever else I forgot to mention.

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I apologize for the double post but this is a new idea and I wanted to boost it up on the forum.

IF passenger rail is established to New Orleans, and commuting numbers increase due to ridership numbers, and the population increase along the route in suburban areas to either city, would a BR-NO CSA form? Or a formally recognized region. Not to mention the I-12 corridor and the passenger rail that was mention by the CPEX I believe, which would roughly follow Florida and I-12 from downtown to Livingston, Covington, and Slidell.

Are there any benefits that BR would reap? CSA numbers would surpass 2 million, there's now one population region that has both the state government, large and prestigious private and black universities, one of the worlds largest port systems and the countries largest, one of the worlds most famous tourist attractions, two emerging film industries, and whatever else I forgot to mention.

In my opinion I would want Baton Rouge to be its own city separate from NO, but you have a good point there. I'm not sure how the future would play out....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Think-tank scholar makes case against B.R.–N.O. rail

Randal O'Toole, a transportation scholar with libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, says Louisiana taxpayers could be on the line to cover millions in operating costs for a proposed high-speed rail line linking Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Contrary to studies cited by rail supporters, O'Toole says there is no evidence that short lines, like the route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, are more effective at covering operating costs. He also refuted claims that a high-speed train between the two Louisiana cities could be built for $105 million, saying it would cost several billion dollars to build a true high-speed rail, capable of going 150 miles per hour or more. Read the report here.

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  • 9 months later...

Back in the news...cool renderings for train stations in article

BR-N.O. rail link study gets local funds

Baton Rouge and New Orleans are still pursuing plans to establish a passenger rail service linking the two major metropolitan areas. This past week, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Planning Organization approved spending $105,000 in federal money for a feasibility study of a commuter rail service to New Orleans. The New Orleans Metropolitan Planning Organization is matching the expenditure with another $105,000, and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation provided about $90,000 for the study, said Huey Dugas, executive director of the Capital Region Planning Commission. “The first time that this came up it was referred to as high-speed rail,” Dugas said. “The state said they were not interested in participating, but now it’s coming back and it’s referred to as commuter rail.”

The proposed rail line’s future became unclear in 2009 after Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration said it would not apply for $300 million in federal stimulus money to undertake the project. Jindal aides have said the administration was concerned about the rail line’s ongoing costs, estimated at $18 million a year, once it would become operational. The rail itself would not have been high-speed, but it could have been linked to any high-speed rail network along the Gulf Coast.

“High-speed rail is very expensive and requires a new rail line and you can’t use the existing line,” Dugas said. “You have to build a new super smooth line.” The proposed commuter rail shuttles between Baton Rouge and New Orleans would travel about 80 miles per hour, while high-speed passenger trains typically exceed 100 mph, Dugas said. The commuter rail service, as proposed, could utilize existing railroad tracks, noting that the Kansas City Southern freight train tracks are being eyed as an option.

A passenger rail link between Baton Rouge and New Orleans was included in the FutureBR plan, Baton Rouge’s master plan for issues of long-term land use and transportation.

Similarly, the Center for Planning Excellence, has been pushing in recent years for a commuter rail service as part of its “Connect” initiative. The initiative aims to link the two metro areas and offer improved access to affordable housing and jobs.

Rachel DiResto, executive vice president of the Center for Planning Excellence, said 50,000 people regularly commute between Baton Rouge and New Orleans to go to work and return home. Linking the two cities by rail is a priority, DiResto said, because it would serve to reduce growing traffic congestion and could provide an evacuation alternative in the event of an emergency.

John Fregonese, who led the development of the FutureBR plan, said the Baton Rouge-New Orleans rail service would also benefit local tourism, allowing Baton Rouge and New Orleans residents to make day trips to eat at restaurants or attend sports events in their neighboring cities. He also said the line would connect major medical facilities in the two cities and give Baton Rouge residents who fly out of New Orleans International Airport another way to get to the airport. “High-speed rail is really successful when it competes with short airline travel for 200- or 300-mile trips,” Fregonese said. “But no one is flying from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.”

As proposed in the FutureBR plan, the Baton Rouge station could be located near downtown, off Government Street or Florida Boulevard.

A 2009 study of rail service between the two cities envisioned passenger stations in downtown Baton Rouge, southeast East Baton Rouge Parish, Gonzales, LaPlace, Kenner and downtown New Orleans. New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the two largest urban areas of Louisiana, need a stronger link so they can be considered sister cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth in Texas or Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota. “They have a lot more to offer together than New Orleans or Baton Rouge separately,” Fregonese said.

In 2010, the Louisiana Legislature approved a bill creating the Louisiana Intrastate Rail Compact, which aims to create a five-member panel to see if local governments along the proposed route would be willing to levy taxes and take other steps to support the rail service.

http://theadvocate.com/home/2866681-125/br-no-rail-link-study-gets

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Best location for a station spur is either near the Kidd museum or underneath the North Blvd overpass between Florida and Government.

I'd honestly rather the one adjacent to the levee with stops downtown and LSU....then no stops until NOLA airport. I'd be very impressed if they could link up the BR airport into it.

The big problem no one is mentioning is the estimated $100,000,000 costs to replace the rail lines over the Bonne Carre and the fly over needed at the Jefferson Parish rail yard.

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