Included in the draft version of the DRIVE Act: funding to study the restoration of Amtrak's Sunset Limited route along the Gulf Coast until Hurricane Katrina.
"Transportation advocates are hoping to convince Amtrak to restore rail service on the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Florida that has been dormant since Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago," reports Keith Lang.
"Trains on Amtrak's Sunset Limited route, which used to run between Los Angeles and Orlando, have ended in New Orleans since the 2005 storm, which wiped out tracks along the Gulf of Mexico."
The first steps toward restoring that service were taken by transportation reauthorization passed by the U.S. Senate in July, but which has yet to achieve full approval. According to Laing, the bill "would provide funding for a study of the feasibility of restoring the service." Meanwhile, advocates like the Friends of the Sunset Limited to Florida are pushing for Congress to pick up the issue again when it returns to Washington, D.C. in September.
Read the full story: Advocates hope to restore Amtrak service lost since Katrina
Passenger Rail Could Return to the Gulf Coast
Although the details of the deal remain murky, Amtrak and the freight companies that share tracks in the region have agreed to restore passenger train service east of New Orleans.
More Delays for Restoring Gulf Coast Amtrak Service
Conflicts over freight rail and funding are holding up the restoration of New Orleans-to-Orlando service on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited line.
Northeast Rail Corridor Woes Extend Far Beyond Hudson River Tunnels
While Amtrak's century-old Hudson River rail tunnels may capture the public's attention, particularly when they are closed, infrastructure problems on the Northeast Corridor also plague the line from Rhode Island to Washington, D.C.
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Journal of the American Planning Association