Communities in three southern states to get federal funding for passenger rail service prep

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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The Southern Rail Commission (SRC) has allocated more than $2.47 million in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funding to 11 communities in three states to be used for improvements supporting potential restoration of passenger rail service.

The SRC says the communities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi intend to use the funds for station-area planning and construction projects that will ensure safe access and better connectivity to and from the station, improved convenience for riders, updated facilities and leveraged economic opportunity that comes with station redevelopment.

The SRC also notes the communities picked for the grants have demonstrated a commitment to planning for intermodal and transit connections, preparing themselves to better leverage the economic opportunity presented by enhanced and re-established passenger rail service.

Funds will be distributed in:

  • Alabama–$728,957
    • City of Anniston; $139,500 to reconstruct a parking area and extend a platform
    • City of Birmingham; $150,000 for enhancements and construction of a new multimodal station
    • City of Mobile; $125,000 for passenger rail station plan development
    • City of Tuscaloosa; $314,457 to support new passenger rail station construction
  • Louisiana¬–$375,000
    • Baton Rouge; $250,000 for a detailed station area conceptual plan
    • City of Gonzales; $50,000 for a detailed site design for a new rail station
    • St. John Parish; $75,000 for detailed planning and design for a new rail station
  • Mississippi–$1.15 million
    • City of Bay St. Louis; $55,000 for canopy improvements, trackside improvements and ADA compliant access
    • City of Biloxi; $252,000 for a passenger rail platform and pedestrian access connecting to a transit station
    • City of Gulfport; $190,000 to construct a new platform canopy with lighting, ADA improvements, sidewalk improvements and landscaping
    • City of Pascagoula; $659,543 to restore a historic train station

“Passenger rail service has been out of commission in many of these communities since Hurricane Katrina destroyed rail infrastructure across the Gulf Coast in 2005,” says Knox Ross, secretary-treasurer of SRC. “These awards demonstrate the strong commitment by both Senators Cochran and Wicker and our Mississippi cities to seeing Amtrak return to the Gulf Coast. The SRC is pleased to partner with these cities to bring back Amtrak to the Gulf Coast.”

In December 2015, Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, which established a working group focused on reaching an agreement regarding capital construction and schedule requirements to restore passenger rail service on the Gulf Coast. Funds will be available in early 2017. Projects are expected to be completed within 24 months of receiving the awards.

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