Amtrak seeks federal funds to study new line linking South to Dallas

Amtrak and a regional commission plan to partner on a federal grant application to study the feasibility of extending of one of Amtrak’s long-distance passenger trains through Mississippi, Louisiana, and into Texas, officials announced recently.

Initial analysis showed “strong stakeholder support exists” for creating a branch of Amtrak’s existing “Crescent” train, which runs from New York to New Orleans via Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama, Amtrak Vice President of Network Development Nicole Bucich said in a statement.

“With the encouragement and support of federal, state and local officials, this application is the first step in determining the feasibility of this concept and the benefits and challenges, including federal funding commitments,” she said.

The project is championed by the Southern Rail Commission, an interstate compact of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The new route would branch from the Crescent’s path at Meridian, Mississippi, and roughly follow the path of Interstate 20 opening up new stops across all three states and terminating in Dallas and Fort Worth, the statement said.

In a capacity study launched by the I-20 Corridor Council, a self-described “multi-state coalition in support of the I-20 Corridor route,” the cost of the Crescent line extension could be upwards of $89.5 million.

“The study reflects that some $82,000,000 will be required to pay for increased siding within the three states, with some additional $7,500,000 to be the costs of additional passenger terminal facilities within the states of Louisiana and Mississippi,” a report by the group said. “This siding would be sufficient to enhance the flow of traffic on existing rails, so as to not adversely impact the host carrier’s freight movements.”

To fund the feasibility study, Amtrak and SRC want to tap the Federal Railroad Administration’s Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program that was created via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and to provide federal funding to support “capital projects that reduce the state of good repair backlog, improve performance, or expand or establish new intercity passenger rail service,” the FRC said.

Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross said the project could be “the first new Amtrak service of its kind in more than 25 years” and would be its next top priority following the success of another joint project with Amtrak.

Trains are expected to begin carrying passengers this year on a new route connecting New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, culminating an effort the Southern Rail Commission launched in 2014 to establish twice-daily service on the 140-mile route.

Amtrak and the commission estimate the capital cost of the New Orleans-Mobile line will be around $223 million, a cost they intend to cover largely with a $178 million federal grant they duo applied for last year.

Amtrak and local governments have chewed the idea over for a Crescent extension for decades.

“Amtrak and its partners have been exploring this idea for more than 20 years, but last year’s Congressional passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act now creates new opportunities to study possible expanded long-distance Amtrak service,” the statement said.

President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal allocated $1 billion in funding for railroad safety and infrastructure improvements, a move the administration said was made in response to the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous material in Palestine, Ohio.