Arkansas DOT Solicits Input for Rail Plan Update

Northwest Arkansas transportation advocates are calling on transit agencies to improve the region’s rail and bus networks, reports Ron Wood for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. The region is projected to grow to house as much as 70 percent of the state’s population by 2045.

As Wood explains, “The Department of Transportation is hosting a series of face-to-face listening sessions as part of its update of the 2015 Arkansas State Rail Plan to hear what ideas people have on various rail-related topics. Among those are passenger and freight rail service, safety and economic growth opportunities.” The agency’s plan will establish a set of priorities for the state’s freight and passenger rail networks.

The article notes that “The region's current transportation plans don't include bus rapid transit or light rail options, which have proven to be cost-prohibitive and problematic to implement, according to Tim Conklin, executive director at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.”

The article notes that in some areas, there is no dedicated local funding sources for public transit, making expansion difficult. “Members of [advocacy group] NWA Go would like to see bus service in the four major cities in Northwest Arkansas linked regionally by bus rapid transit and commuter rail transit services in the future.”