The price of restoring rail passenger service to the Gulf Coast is $177.6 million in capital improvements, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
The FRA made that assessment in a report sent to Congress this week that is the final version of the Gulf Coast Working Group’s report for reinstating Amtrak service east of New Orleans.
However, CSX, which would host the service, disputes the report, saying that a consultant’s study put required capital improvements at $2.2 billion.
That prompted the the Southern Rail Commission to say that CSX has, “demonstrated a commitment to obfuscation and deceit, which culminated the sentiments they expressed in (the Working Group’s) May 10, 2017, meeting.”
The FRA said it considered information from Working Group participants, which included representatives of CSX, Amtrak, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the Southern Rail Commission, to come up with the $117.6-million figure for capital improvements.
In its report, the FRA said it “does not endorse every recommendation” made in the report. FRA staff participated in the working group activities.
The Southern Rail Commission has received funding for some station restoration, but the report said $5.48 million of additional annual funding is necessary to operate a daily New Orleans-Orlando, Florida, extension of Amtrak’s City of New Orleans.
Operating a separate service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, would add another $4 million cost.
The report did not specify the cost for positive train control installation.
The Gulf Coast has been without rail service since the Sunset Limited was suspended east of New Orleans following damage to the route inflicted by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
Tags: Amtrak Gulf Coast service, Amtrak's City of New Orleans, Gulf Coast, Gulf Coast rail service, Gulf Coast Working Group, intercity rail passenger service, New Orleans-Mobile rail service, New Orleans-Orlando rail service
Amtrak in the Heartland 
Leave a Reply