Louisiana Passenger Rail Latest- Trains to Beach and DFW Funded

If you've ever dreamed of taking the train to an LSU game in Baton Rouge, a Saints Game in New Orleans, or to family vacation along the Alabama or Florida Gulf Coast then your dream got a little closer to reality late last week.

If you're not aware there are three prominent passenger rail projects currently being vetted that involve passenger rail service in Louisiana. The three projects include a passenger line that would connect Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The continuation of passenger rail service from New Orleans across the Mississippi Gulf Coast to Mobile, Alabama.

And the third project is in North Louisiana which would see passenger rail service run from Meridian Mississippi through Monroe, Louisiana, and Shreveport, Louisiana eventually terminating in Dallas Texas. This line, if completed would allow passengers to take the train from DFW to Atlanta, Georgia.

The Southern Rail Commission announced last week that three different "grants" of $500,000 each had been allocated for rail projects in the state. One of the $500,000 allocations came from the United States Department of Transportation. That money will be used as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program for Louisiana DOTD to study the corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The second $500,000 allocation obtained by the Southern Rail Commission was to be used for further study and implementation of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile on the Alabama Gulf Coast. That project is already in the "test run" phase with trains making test trips between the two destinations already.

The hang-up in the "NOLA to Mobile" scenario is the building of a temporary and then permanent station in Mobile. It is believed that once that hurdle has been cleared passenger rail service across the Mississippi Gulf coast and beyond will be available as early as 2024.

The Southern Rail Commission also was allocated another $500,000 for studies that would allow for the implementation of passenger rail service along Louisiana's I-20 corridor.  City officials from Monroe and Shreveport were on hand in Monroe on Friday when the announcement was made. Proponents of the I-20 line see the rail service as a need for continued strong economic growth and expansion.

But as of now, there is no specific timeline on when the I-20 route would go into service, assuming that political leaders and the funding allow it to do so.