FRA/Amtrak High-Speed Rail Planning Workshop
Status of Planning for the Gulf
Coast High-Speed Rail Corridor
Houston, TX
May 29, 2009

The Southern High-Speed Rail
Commission
Created in 1982 to study the feasibility of rapid rail
service between states in the Deep South
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
Adjacent states can join by Legislative Act

SHSRC Accomplishments
Mobile - New Orleans for the 1984 for the
World’s Fair
Sunset Limited extended
Birmingham to Mobile (Gulf Breeze)
Gulf Coast Limited (1996)
Federally-designated Gulf Coast High-Speed Rail
Corridor (1998)
Eligible for HSR funding

Federally-designated HSR Corridors

Gulf Coast HSR Corridor
The Gulf Coast HSR Corridor consists of three distinct
segments:
Houston to New Orleans…………….362 miles
Atlanta to New Orleans…………...…518 miles
Mobile to New Orleans.…………......145 miles
Total……………............1,025 miles

Gulf Coast HSR Corridor

Previous SHSRC Planning Projects
Segments that have been planned:
New Orleans to Mobile…………….145 miles
Lake Charles to New Orleans……....220 miles
New Orleans to Meridian…… …….202 miles
Total….…………………..567miles
Segments that require planning:
Lake Charles to Texas state line…….35 miles
Meridian to Atlanta………………....316 miles
Total…………....………....351 miles

Planned and Unplanned Segments
of the Corridor

Ongoing SHSRC Planning Projects
BR – NO IPR Feasibility Analysis
Ridership
Transit Oriented Development
Initial Community Contacts
Conceptual Engineering
Economic Impact Analysis
Business/Financial Plan

Baton Rouge to New Orleans
HSR Intercity Passenger Service

Future Projects: Louisiana
BR – NO Intercity Passenger Rail
FRA Corridor Development Plan
Environmental clearances
Host Railroad and Operating agreements
ARRA application (Track 2 Corridor Programs)

Future Projects: Mississippi
Amtrak reviewing service resumption of the
Sunset Limited in CSX corridor
Tri-State Corridor Project

Future Projects: Alabama
ADECA is new coordinating state agency
Amtrak reviewing service resumption of the Sunset Limited in
CSX corridor
Meridian – Atlanta (316 miles)
Alternate Route Analysis (Birmingham – Atlanta, 164 mi)
Corridor Development Plan (Meridian – Atlanta)
Environmental Clearances
Financing and implementation
ARRA Application (Track 3 Planning Funds)

Partners: BR – NO Intercity HSR
Passenger Service
LADOTD
Host Railroads (KCS, CN)
Amtrak/NOUPT
FRA
MPOs, Cities and parishes in the corridor:
Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Laplace, Kenner (NOIA),
New Orleans

Partners: Gulf Coast HSR Corridor
Current – LADOTD, MDOT, ALDOT, ADECA
Future – TXDOT, GDOT
Host railroads (BNSF, CN, CSX, KCS, NOPB, NS,
UP)
Amtrak
FRA
MPOs, cities, counties/parishes (Houston, Beaumont, Lake
Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Slidell, Picayune,
Hattiesburg, Laurel, Meridian, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham,
Anniston, Atlanta, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Mobile)

Corridor Priorities
Implement BR – NO HSR Intercity Service
Existing equipment
Implement Corridor Development in Logical
Sequences, depending on funding:
BR – Houston
NO – Atlanta
NO - Mobile