The Louisiana Legislature in 2010 created Louisiana Intrastate Rail Compact that would allow parishes to provide financing to operate the New Orleans to Baton Rouge train. To date, all the parishes on the proposed route have joined the compact. The plan is to raise revenue to operate the train by instituting incremental tax districts around […]
U.S. Supreme Court Says Amtrak Must Maintain Louisiana to Florida Train?
In the opinion of recent Supreme Court decision (USDOT v. Assoc of American Railroads) about whether Amtrak has the authority to impose regulations upon the railroads concerning on time performance, the decision states, “Amtrak must maintain a route between Louisiana and Florida,” and then they go on to cite the law 24101(c)(6). However, the only […]
Amtrak’s Reauthorization
In early March the U.S. House passed H.R. 479, the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (PRRIA 2015) by a 306 to 101 vote. The bill, passed in a true bipartisan fashion, authorizes about $1.4 billion over the next four fiscal years (starting in FY 2016), although actual funding will come through a […]
National Train Day Events
The Louisiana Association of Railroad Passengers will celebrate National Train Day in May of 2015. Check back for details of where Amtrak will be holding events. Amtrak will be doing a rolling National Train Day this year and LARP has asked Amtrak to make New Orleans one of its stops. We would like to see a robust […]