MONROE, La. — Officials and other interested parties from Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama met Thursday in Monroe to discuss funding efforts needed to launch service I-20 Corridor Passenger Rail Service, a proposal for an Amtrak route linking Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as existing Texas Eagle, City of New Orleans, and Crescent operations, by splitting the Crescent at Meridian, Miss.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis hosted the meeting in partnership with the Southern Rail Commission and Transportation for America. Attendees U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith (both R-Miss.); other elected officials, and representatives of the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, and Canadian Pacific. CP has indicated it is open to passenger operations on the joint Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway between Meridian and Shreveport, La., if the CP-KCS merger is approved.
“Today’s event reflects an incredibly exciting time for passenger rail service,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “Today also reflects the strong collaboration and success of the SRC and its partners, providing an example of what we would like to see happen across the country. The I-20 Corridor has tremendous potential, and the FRA is eager to continue working with state and local leaders in planning and pursuing funding for passenger rail service.”
Cassidy, in a press release, cited a 2017 study that said less than $80 million would be required to prepare the route in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and notes that the Louisiana legislature has already appropriated $10 million for an extension of long-distance Amtrak service in Northern Louisiana.
New passenger funding under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enhances the possibility of launching service on the route, as Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross noted: ““With funding available, an agreeable freight [railroad], and strong leadership at the state, local, and national level, we are confident that this project will soon be underway.”
— Updated at 7:20 a.m. CDT with additional information including Cassidy press release.
While this train could be combined with the Crescent north of Meridian, and maybe should start as a section of that train, I think supporters should eventually try to make it a standalone train from Dallas/Ft Worth all the way to the NEC. That would provide an additional frequency across much of the Crescent’s route and avoid changing schedules too drastically.
I don’t think it would be worth trying to combine the new train with the Texas Eagle from Dallas to Marshall. Too short, and midway through the Eagle’s route. Just go standalone for that part.
Sounds like this route would be “easier” tand cost less to start than the New Orleans to Mobile route, and provide Amtrak a greater return on its investment.
The KCS route from Sherveport to Dallas is an inferior route compared to the UP route that goes thru Marshall (MHL) which is the Eagle’s route. MHL – DAL It also goes north of MHL and cuts in to DAL by way of wylie Suspect that an Amtrak from MEI would do much better on the UP route. If the train combines with the Crescent at MEI that might change the Crescent’s schedule ?
Although unlikely it could even combine with the Eagle MHL – FTW.
The probable biggest impedient to this happening will be the Amtrak managment. There will be a lot of equipent that will be needed. That is a 2 night route that will be the only east coast train 2 nights .Probably one less sleeper to NOL but 2 to FTW. That would net an increase of 8 sleepers if all go to NYP? As well another 8 coachs and 2 more diners if they go toFTW and cafe continues to NOL ? As I see it Amtrak management will not like this line because it might prove very high in demand or it might flop.
There is demand for service at Atlanta. It isn’t unusual to have 100+ passengers getting on or off at Atlanta. The problem is there is a lack of ridership between Atlanta and New Orleans. The train is slow and often loses time between the two. Before more service is added at Atlanta a new station is needed. Peachtree was nothing but a rural suburban stop that served wealthier clients in its day and was never intended too be used as it is now.
Apparently you all failed to notice the politicians involved in this discussion are all REPUBLICANS.
There are Democrats in office there?
Welfare for consultants?
Too many powerful foes of passenger rail exist today primarily oil & hwy interests for passenger rail to even think of expanding in this market or any other, its surprising it has lasted this long 50 yrs after its near demise until Amtrak took over. As mentioned above there no hesitation to fork over tens or hundreds of millions of $$$ here & there equaling Billions of tax dollars over the years for hwy projects that never really solved congestion only relocated it & now to the point of overbuilding with dwindling commuters. Perhaps the growing number of naysayers on this site are right maybe its time to give up the ghost & euthanize America’s passenger rail system. Maybe Canada will low bid for the latest equipment & scrap the rest.
Amtrak and VIA are euthanzing themselves. They don’t need any help from right – of – center politicians.
ALDOT does have in their long term plan to connect I-85 at Montgomery to I-20 at Meridian. The stub (AL-108) has been built and as soon as the Feds come up with more money, they plan to continue it to I-65 and then on to Selma and finally Meridian.
So I am sure *someone* will bend someones ear on what is cheaper.
Before adding any new routes or further expansion, Amtrak should address and correct the issue of equipment shortages, worker shortages and getting all the mothballed locos and passenger cars out of the repair shops and onto the tracks.
Also improve upon and enhance their existing services including corridor lines and LD lines and not just the NEC. How can you talk about new lines and routes when you can’t maintain what you already have ? Resources are stretched out very thin and Amtrak operating on life support and a shoestring. As for equipment shortages, Amtrak has plenty of equipment sitting on the sidelines without having to buy new. Fix and and maintain what you already have before thinking of expansion and venturing into markets that are viable or profitable
Joseph C. Markfelder
Oh, and one more question, a rather obvious one. So, CPKC is on board!
Wa-hooooo! Wa-hoooo! CPKC doesn’t get anywhere near Atlanta.
I hope this proposal takes into consideration that end-to-end passenger traffic will be extremely small since there is plenty of air service, including discount airlines, between the two end points.
Personally, I wouldn’t add new Amtrak service beyond increasing train volume on current LD routes. Too much a waste of time and energy, especially with the current Amtrak Board and its top management.
I think the fact that there is plenty of air service proves there is high demand for this corridor. So long as they create more than a once daily train this service could be very successful.
Air travel is highly pollutive, as well as generally unpleasant. We need to follow Europe’s example and move away from short haul flights.
CP just smells money in the air, nothing else. Anytime Amtrak is brought it the smell of money fills the air of railroads even if it takes years.
How much of a real demand is there for this service? As a mileage-collector I might have to ride it once but it’s outside my Official Territory and Down South too! Again, this is a territory close to where the old Frisco experienced drastic and near-fatal losses to passenger traffic in the 1920’s. The story was buried in the old Moody’s Manuals for the next 20 years–essentially the local traffic disappeared–which provided 20% of the Frisco’s TOTAL revenue. (This is even worse of a loss than the B&M’s 1953-1961!) I see another Floridian or National Limited in the making–and those trains had supposed reasons to exist.
Answer to your first sentence: – there is no measurable demand for a proposed once-daily schleppediche train in this territory. You want to know the demand? Compare Atlanta’s Amtrak Station at Peachtree to ATL Atlanta – Hartsfield International Airport. If Amtrak can’t make it on the Peachtree to Washington – Philadelphia – New York route, it can’t make it Atlanta to Jackson and Shreveport.
I’m not saying Jackson and Shreveport shouldn’t have a train. What I’m saying is this: those cities won’t have a train.
And you’re right about the Floridian. In recent years I’ve spent a lot of time in Nashville (though likely never again – my family has relocated out of there). I know what southeastern single-track freight railroads look like and what they can do as far as passenger trains.
Atlanta to Nashville is a more obvious corridor than Atlanta to Shreveport. That won’t happen either.
In China the passenger rail proposal for the Atlanta-Dallas-Fort Worth Corridor would be a 220-mph High Speed Rail line, at 780 miles in distance a travel time of 5 hours would require a 150-mph average speed, 4 hours requires 195-mph average speed, which some services Beijing-Shanghai in China actually do achieve, the HSR line having at top speed of 217-mph covering the 809 miles in 4hr18min.
Well, that may be true. But in China, the land is already owned by the government, or would be simply taken. The labor would be done by workers making $.85 a day. The project would be justified because a partly leader’s brother-in-law brokered the labor for ten million bucks. The press would not report that the project was largely unused because it was not a practical option, but would only tell how it is a glorious example of the party leaders vision and wisdom. And you and I would never know because we would be slaving away in a coal mine or a rice mill on the other side of the country with no access to the outside world…
Don’t underestimate the Chinese, they’re very efficient at both building high speed railways and the world’s largest navy because unlike America they can effectively plan and building at a relatively low cost, like America in WW2 or with the Interstate Highways. We’ve lost that, and it its why we are stagnating with domestic infrastructure and naval ship building.
This is definitely a can’t-do mentality country. And the can’t-do mentality is rapidly causing the United States to descend into third-world status.
The government and Amtrak are going to have to figure out a way to work with the freight railroads. Double tracking the Meridian speedway is not an insurmountable task. And it would be a win-win. Even if the Freight railroad gets the majority of the benefit, we all benefit by having less truck traffic on the interstates.
The distance between the two cities is approximately 800 miles and an 11-hour car trip without stops. A train schedule that makes this trip in about 12 hours would be competitive. Plus it will provide transportation to intermediate cities such as Meridian, Jackson, Shreveport, Longview and Dallas.
Small point of information – “Third world status” is a pejorative frequently employed to indicate the opposite of “world class” status. You never hear about the second world. What is “second world status?” Just askin’.
The “Second World” status was assigned to counties of the Soviet Bloc or under the influence of the Politburo. Now that it’s gone maybe it’s up for grabs. Nominations anyone?
There is no second world, only “first world” and “third world”…just the way it should be. You have the “haves” and the “haves nots”, there is no “almost has”.
How about the “Had it once, now it’s gone” status?
I completely agree. Officials would not blink at forking over $80 mil for an interstate, but a train is controversial for that amount.
Probably because far more people would use the interstate than the train. And all those drivers vote don’t forget.
Beause the cordon count on a single average Interstate Highway equals the patronage of all of Amtrak. Don’t believe me? Look it up. The count on IH 94 in Racine County (the lowest count in the Milwaukee – Chicago – Gary corridor) is 85k vpd. Amtrak ridership is 85k daily.
And anything that cost $80M in 2017 will cost $120M today. That and I find that amount suspect to begin with.
Another point to consider is if CSX is successful in gaining rights to the Meridian Speedway as a condition to the CPKC merger plan. I could see the pressure grow to double track this route for much of its length.
That shouldn’t happen, and from what I’ve read probably won’t…would surprise me if it did.
Meridian “Speedway” a freight-heavy single-track railroad. What would be the travel time of various city pairs?
Washington – Atlanta on NS has turned into one of Amtrak’s sore thumbs. This proposal is supposed to make us believers? It will take more than the good will of CPKC. Oh and BTW I don’t think CPKC can make this proposal without getting NS on board. Keep hoping.
Oh, and one final comment, really a question, What happens on the Dallas end? Is there a good route to wherever the passenger station would be in Dallas?