(The following story by Jill Nolin appeared on the Montgomery Advertiser website on August 16, 2009.)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The 21,100-mile web of Amtrak rails run to more than 500 destinations in 46 states — and the Montgomery area would like to be one them.
Local and state officials can imagine Montgomery being a link in that web, making it possible for riders to get on a train downtown and arrive in New York within 24 hours.
And they are doing more than just imagining it. They’re trying to bring the romance of the train back to the Capital City. They are laying the groundwork for what they hope will lead to a return of Amtrak service on a line that from 1989 to 1995 connected Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham.
Those who are working on bringing back the train route, which was once known as the Gulf Breeze line, believe it would be a boost for Alabama tourism if the city linked to a grid that stretches all over country.
“It would be just another tool in our toolbox,” Mayor Todd Strange said of the economic impact of passenger rail service in Montgomery. “You can get here by water. You can get here by bus. You can get here by air. You can get here by car. You can get here by train. You just put in another way for people to get to Montgomery.”
The line would also provide an alternative form of transportation for locals — and one that advocates for the train’s return believe will be more attractive in an age where the general public skeptically waits for gas prices to increase.
While freight trains continue to frequent the tracks through Montgomery, the likes of a passenger train will not be seen here for some time. The state must first complete a rail plan, and then a ridership study would have to be done to determine whether it would be feasible to offer the service here.
Amtrak has shown an interest in bringing back passenger rail service to the Mobile-to-Birmingham route. But the company will not look into it further until the state of Alabama finishes its homework.
“We’ll help you get there. We’ll operate the trains for you. But Alabama has to take the first step toward where you want to be and how you want to get there,” said Todd Stennis, director of Government Affairs-South for Amtrak.
Stennis visited Montgomery this week to brief local officials on Amtrak’s interest in increasing passenger rail service in the Southeast region, which Stennis said was currently under served.
Today, Amtrak does run one route in Alabama. The Crescent, which used to connect to the Gulf Breeze, connects directly to Atlanta and New Orleans.
“It’s a ways off,” Stennis said of Amtrak’s possible return to Montgomery. “It’s premature to sit here and say when we could or could not do something until we have a better idea of what the study will say.”
The ridership study has not been started at this point. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is currently pursuing federal stimulus money that could be used to cover the cost of the study, a cost expected to be $100,000 to $300,000.
“We’re basically in the exploratory phase at this point,” said Robert Smith, senior transportation planner with the city of Montgomery and a participant in the effort to bring back the train service.
There is also a question as to how much the local stakeholders would be willing to contribute financially to a service that depends on government subsidy. Montgomery’s Planning Director Ken Groves said it would likely take about a $1 million contribution on behalf of government.
It is not clear who would pay for that subsidy. Some believe that should be the state’s obligation, but Rep. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, who serves on the House Tourism and Travel Committee, believes it is a burden that should be spread out among the benefiting jurisdictions.
That is among the many details that await review and discussion in the coming years, but it’s murky water through which officials say they are prepared to wade.
“We think it makes a lot of sense to try to bring it back,” McClammy said.
McClammy has taken a particular interest in the idea of bringing passenger rail service back to Montgomery and believes it would complement the Old Federal Road and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs has been tasked with exploring the future of rail service, including passenger rail service.
ADECA is working with other organizations, such as the Federal Railroad Administration and the Southern High-Speed Rail Commission, to coordinate plans with neighboring states and to determine potential routes.
The organization sees the problems, but also sees the myriad benefits that a return to the rails can bring both passengers and Alabama cities.
“ADECA understands the significant benefits of passenger rail service as a cost-effective transportation system that promotes economic development along rail corridors, helps relieve highway congestion, improves emergency preparedness, benefits air quality and reduces our dependence on foreign oil,” said Tom Littlepage, who is overseeing the process for ADECA.