Amtrak seek federal study for new long distance service across I-20 route
Amtrak announced Friday that they are partnering with the Southern Rail Commission to apply for federal funds to study a new service between New York City, Atlanta and Dallas and Fort Worth by extending a section of the Amtrak Crescent train from Meridian, Mississippi, across Mississippi and Louisiana to Texas along I-20.
Although Amtrak and its partners have explored the idea of a passenger rail service along the I-20 for more than 20 years, the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act created new opportunities to study possible expansion of a long-distance Amtrak service.
Amtrak Network Development Vice President Nicole Bucich announced the decision to partner with the SRC to apply for the planning funds at the Commission's quarterly meeting in New Orleans, supporting "More Amtrak Trains for More People."
"As the entity responsible for providing the nation's long-distance intercity passenger rail service, Amtrak will work with our partners to seek the funds needed to study expansion and improvement options where strong stakeholder support exits and initial analysis show opportunity," Bucich said in a press release. "With the encouragement and support of federal, state and local officials, this application is the first step in determining the feasibility of this concept and the benefits and challenges, including federal funding commitments, of expanding Amtrak service to the I-20 route."
SRC Chairman Knox Ross said the proposed line has the potential to be the first new Amtrak service of its kind in more than 25 years and would come in an area that has long been underserved by passenger rail.
"Now that we have a way forward for new state-sponsored corridor service between New Orleans and Mobile, the I-20 route has been identified by the SRC as its next priority," Ross said.
According to a press release from Amtrak, if the study is funded under the Federal Railroad Administration Federal-State Partnership Program and if it produces a sufficient business case for a direct connection between the Northeast Corridor and fast-growing areas in the South and West, Amtrak would partner with the SRC and others to seek federal capital and operating support to initiate the service.
Amtrak set the stage for such a study in an agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway, which has acquired the route, which is subject to regulatory approval. Among other parties would be Norfolk Southern Railway, which shares the ownership of the line with Kansas City Southern.
"This news means that passenger rail in Monroe is no longer a question of it, but when," Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis said in a press release. "As Mayor, one of my most important responsibilities is to help grow the City of Monroe and passenger rail does that. It's a way to bring catalytic investment into our downtown that will create new economic opportunities for our city and residents, but also provides travel options for a historically underserved region of the country."
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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Amtrak seek federal study for new long distance service across I-20 route
