Rail Service Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans – The Latest

Every day motorists in Baton Rouge climb into their vehicles and make the trek down Interstate 10 to do business in New Orleans. It would be safe to assume that almost as many motorists in New Orleans do the same thing, except their destination is the aforementioned Baton Rouge.

The trip between Louisiana's two largest cities should take about an hour. In most cases, it takes well over an hour because of traffic congestion in and around the two cities. It's that traffic congestion that the proposed rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is supposed to alleviate.

One transportation authority suggests that as many as 1,000 motorists drive the I-10 route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans each day. It is believed that passenger rail service between the two cities could eliminate at least that many cars from that stretch of I-10 which would make traffic flow a lot smoother and more efficient.

Louisiana's former Governor, John Bel Edwards was in favor of expanding rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Edwards directed that more than $20 million be directed and dedicated to the project. Edwards' successor, current Governor Jeff Landry, is not as enthusiastic about the idea.

Landry has gone on record, suggesting that he believes the money might be better allocated for the widening of I-10, which is also a needed adjustment to the state's infrastructure. Landry's concern is about the usage of the rail service.

However, polls taken about the subject seem to suggest that 70% of people who live in the parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans say they would ride the train.

If it's a question of money, the Biden administration has put forward some $60 billion in funds for inter-city rail, which is what a NOLA to Baton Rouge line would be. Members of the Southern Rail Commission believe passenger rail could begin as soon as 18 months. It would be a great way to reduce traffic on I-10 when construction to work on that roadway is necessary.

From the people we have discussed the issue with most seem to be very interested in the idea. The questions that many of you have wanted answers for include, how often the trains run, what would the cost be to ride the trains, where would the trains stop along the way, and whether would there be special trains for Saints or LSU Football games or other big events.

Meanwhile, the saga of Amtrak Service between New Orleans and Mobile continues. There is still forward movement in getting that stretch of track up and running. And now that Mobile, Alabama has made some decisions on the funding and location of a railway station we should start to see more information about that service in the coming weeks.