(The following article by Will Sentell was posted on the Advocate website on November 1.)
BATON ROUGE, La. — Passenger railroad service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans would resume for the first time in roughly 40 years under an ambitious, $60 million proposal unveiled Tuesday by the state transportation department.
The plan, which faces huge financial and other hurdles, is aimed primarily at helping New Orleans area residents who have been forced into daily commutes since Hurricane Katrina.
But the long-shot effort would also be designed to lure other riders as well.
“It captures people’s imagination to be able to ride a train to New Orleans,” said Mark Lambert, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and Development.
“We think a lot of people who would not ride a bus would ride a train,” Lambert said.
Backers envision improving a freight rail line used and owned by Kansas City Southern from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.
They say there would be stops at the Mall of Louisiana; near Gonzales; LaPlace; Kenner near New Orleans International Airport and the Amtrak train station, near the Superdome.
Cedric Grant, deputy secretary for the department, plans to make a pitch for the $60 million plan on Thursday to the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which oversees the rebuilding of southeast and southwest Louisiana after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
John Landry of Abbeville, chairman of the LRA’s infrastructure and transportation task force, said while the plan has appeal, there is huge pressure for limited recovery dollars, which came from the federal government.
Landry said there have already been discussions that involve about $700 million for hospitals, energy-relief and building repairs and replacement.
“We are down to less than $300 million,” he said of available funds.
Lambert called the $60 million in the rail plan the initial costs. The trains, which would be provided by Amtrak, would cost another $10 million or $11 million per year to operate for three years, he said.
State transportation officials included a similar rail plan on a wish list to federal officials shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck.
However, the proposal never generated any traction in Washington.
Another issue that makes the rail service proposal iffy is the fact that state transportation officials are also asking the LRA for aid to continue the commuter bus service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which is called LA Swift.
Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, have financed the service for the past year but plan to stop funding after Nov. 30.
Lambert said the state is asking FEMA to reconsider its decision and, if that fails, aid from the LRA to keep it going. He said the bus service could continue for another 18 months for $9 million, which would likely lessen chances for railroad assistance.
Between 900 and 1,000 riders use the bus daily, Lambert said, and about 213,000 have used LA Swift in the past year. About 85 percent or riders depend on the bus to get to jobs or for job interviews, officials said.
There is no charge to ride LA Swift. Backers of the rail service envision $11 or $12 charges for a one-way trip.
Landry said rail service would carry benefits.
“Since the storms we have had a completely different transportation mix,” he said.
“This would alleviate not only a lot of traffic congestion on the highways but also help people get to jobs, have interviews.”
Lambert said the $60 million would finance improvements to the tracks, which are meant to handle freight trains with top speeds of 39 miles per hour compared to Amtrak passenger trains with top speeds of 79 mph. Other funds would be used to build limited train stations along the route, including conversion of a freight facility near the state transportation department building that would be turned into a passenger station.
Lambert said that roughly $10 million of the $60 million could be offset with revenue from passenger fares and other sources.