A host of elected and business leaders from South Louisiana have come out in support of the Canadian National-Kansas City Southern merger and Canadian National’s plans to sell off the 70-mile rail line connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, the Port of New Orleans and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation have all filed letters in support of the deal with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, the railways announced Monday.
If a bill has the support of both Republicans and Democrats, be concerned. That's certainly the case with a bipartisan transportation bill moving through the Senate that would double the federal subsidies given to Amtrak.
Last week, the U.S. Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted 25 to 3 to advance a $78 billion surface transportation bill that gives the government-owned passenger rail service $19 billion over five years, for an average of $3.8 billion per year.
Amtrak has launched a $28 million, three-year project to improve the rider experience aboard its long-distance trains serving overnight routes across the country.
Modernized interiors of Amtrak’s bi-level “Superliner” fleet, serving primarily midwestern, southern and western routes, will improve comfort with new seating cushions and upholstery, carpet, LED lighting, tables and curtains, according to a news release.
America’s passenger railroad has put out a map and a vision for what an expanded rail network could look like by 2035. Imagine 39 new routes and increased frequencies on 25 existing routes. The expansion could mean 20 million more passengers annually using Amtrak, which had a record 32.5 million passenger trips before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Amtrak President Stephen Gardner spoke to The Washington Post about the passenger rail’s plans and the challenges to reaching them.
Amtrak is attempting to start service between Mobile and New Orleans, along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) oppose Amtrak’s plan, and the issue is now before the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The issues are purportedly operational, having to do with rail capacity at the Port of Mobile, although there are also procedural issues to the controversy. There is a political dimension, too, with essentially the entire political establishment in Mississippi supporting Amtrak’s position and all of Alabama’s opposing it.
Amtrak today released a report offering more details on the “Connect US” map it released earlier this year for service expansion. What the company is calling its “Corridor Vision” report calls for a $75 billion federal investment over 75 years to add 39 new routes and enhance service on 25 others, leading to service in 47 of the 48 contiguous states and new stations in more than half of those states.
Canadian National said it will sell a 70-mile rail line connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans to help secure regulators' approval for its $33.6 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern, a move that could maintain rail competition in the area and help efforts to connect the two cities with passenger rail.
The two rail companies filed a motion with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board Wednesday to set up a voting trust that would acquire Kansas City Southern and own the railroad while regulators review the deal.
The Baton Rouge to New Orleans line is the only area of overlap between the Canadian National and Kansas City Southern rail networks.
nadian National Railway Co. and Kansas City Southern move toward the merger of the two rail companies announced in April, CN is reportedly trying to address regulators’ concerns about unfair competition by promising to sell the 80-mile line owned by KCS that runs between Baton Rouge and New Orleans—a move that could potentially bring passenger rail service between the two cities closer to reality.
Both CN and KCS currently own lines running between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which federal regulators have suggested could be a sticking point in gaining the approvals they will need to consummate the merger.
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The Biden Administration is officially tossing its support behind Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast.
The confirmation came in a letter from John Putnam, acting general counsel with the U.S. Department of Transportation to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, charged with ruling whether Amtrak can restart a twice-daily service between Mobile and New Orleans. The service also calls for four stops in Mississippi – Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.
In visiting with President Joe Biden during his stop in New Orleans on Thursday, I thanked him and Congress for providing funding for critical infrastructure needs across our country, especially in Louisiana. Investing in transportation infrastructure is the best way to drive our local and state economies and bring a significant return on investment to Baton Rouge and Louisiana.