CANADIAN PACIFIC PLANS INAUGURAL ROUND TRIP FOR BR-NOLA PASSENGER RAIL

Passenger rail on its way to reality for SoLA Super Region

James Clements, SVP of Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation for Canadian Pacific Railway, today announced that the railway is committed to the establishment of passenger rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Clements joined Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Secretary of Transportation Shawn Wilson, local elected officials, and business leaders representing the SoLA Super Region for a conversation on Southern Louisiana passenger rail this morning.  

Passenger rail service between Louisiana’s two largest cities would follow Canadian Pacific’s approved control of the track, as proposed in the pending Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger application, and completion of necessary infrastructure improvements in conjunction with stakeholders.  At today’s event, Clements expressed the willingness of Canadian Pacific Railway to open capacity of a Canadian Pacific-owned track to an initial one round trip per day; increased capacity could be accommodated depending on available funding for required capital improvements.

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Canadian Pacific commits to New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger train if KCS merger is approved

Louisiana governor says state DOT will pursue federal funding for rail infrastructure

NEW ORLEANS — A senior Canadian Pacific official told New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., civic leaders on Wednesday that the railroad will permit a single passenger round trip between the two cities, without any infrastructure improvements, if CP’s merger with Kansas City Southern is approved by the Surface Transportation Board.

James Clements, Canadian Pacific’s senior vice president of Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation, did admit that at present, “it’s not a very fast …or high-capacity railroad, and that’s why we believe there are some upgrades needed for speed, in particular. Because there is not a lot of capacity, we’re just not confident that you could add a second [round trip] without significant impacts on passenger and freight.”

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STB grants Amtrak access to CSX yard in Mobile, Ala.

Score one small win for Amtrak in its ongoing effort to launch service along the Gulf Coast.

The Surface Transportation Board on Monday issued a decision honoring Amtrak’s request for an order allowing it access to CSX Transportation’s Choctaw Yard in Mobile, Ala., to conduct a survey to determine a possible site for a layover track for trains on the proposed New Orleans-Mobile route.

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Southern Rail Commission Celebrates $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

The Southern Rail — an advocate for comprehensive rail transit in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama — said the recently passed federal infrastructure bill will lead to new development opportunities for passenger rail throughout the nation including expanded service in the Gulf South. The SRC said the bill will bring critical upgrades to railways and passenger rail connections, and economic development opportunities.

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AAR, rail groups hail potential impact of new infrastructure funding law

resident Joe Biden's signature on the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) marks a "long-overdue step" toward a more competitive and prosperous economic future, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced yesterday.

The legislation includes nearly $845 million per year for highway-rail grade crossing safety and elimination projects and an average of $5.55 billion per year for discretionary infrastructure grant programs, such as $1 billion per year for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program, which provides essential support to short line and passenger railroads as well as state departments of transportation, AAR officials said in a press release.

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Mobile City Officials OK $30 Million to Support New Downtown Airport Project

Relocating Mobile’s commercial airline services to a new terminal close to downtown has been described as a “transformational” project for the city and region and one that will lead to lower air fares and more direct flight options in coastal Alabama.

Rich said she hopes the new airport can be a transportation hub that includes a bus terminal and a passenger rail stop. Amtrak is currently pushing for a return of a Gulf Coast rail route connecting New Orleans to Mobile, and their request is currently being weighed by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

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$250,000 railroad grant awarded to The Magic City’s Amtrak station by Southern Rail Commission

Big things are ahead for the Gulf Coast as the Southern Rail Commission announced the grant locations for South Mississippi and Birmingham on Monday. With Amtrak planning to revive their service locations in early 2022, passengers are eager to hop on board and explore the Coast.

All aboard, Birmingham. Keep reading to see why Birmingham plays an integral part in connecting the the U.S. to the Gulf with these two major improvements.

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Birmingham awarded money for train station upgrades

Improvements are coming to Birmingham’s Amtrak station after the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority received federal grant money this week.

The Southern Rail Commission awarded Birmingham $250,000 that can be used to enhance accessibility, improve ridership, and expand economic opportunities associated with station redevelopment.

“This is an effort to try to provide funding to assist us to clean up the area prior to the World Games,” said Frank T. Martin, CEO of the BJCTA.

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Money for train station upgrades awarded to Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, and Pascagoula for Gulf Coast train plan

The Southern Rail Commission will award grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration to the cities of Gulfport, Miss. Bay St. Louis, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Birmingham, Ala. to complete construction and enhance accessibility for each of their local passenger train stations.

SRC will award a total of $953,338 in four grants: Gulfport will receive $246,500, Bay St. Louis will receive $270,000, Pascagoula will receive $186,838 and Birmingham will receive $250,000. Each of these grants required a local match of the same amount.

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