Alabama opposing Amtrak restart linking New Orleans and Mobile
Gov. Kay Ivey has said Alabama will oppose an Amtrak plan to resume service between New Orleans and Mobile without an impact study. Amtrak has asked federal regulators to force CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway to let passenger trains run on track linking the two cities. Ivey has said a study on the potential impact on freight traffic needs to be completed. The northern Gulf Coast has been without passenger service since Hurricane Katrina damaged tracks and equipment in 2005. While Louisiana and Mississippi support a resumption, Alabama has withheld funding over concern that Amtrak trains would interfere with freight service at the Port of Mobile. [apnews.com]
Las Vegas: Two passenger rail town?
A plot of land, bordered by I-15 and Las Vegas Boulevard South, is where Brightline West says it plans to build its high-speed rail station in Las Vegas. In January, the company told the Nevada High-Speed Rail Authority it plans to break ground sometime in the second quarter of this year. Las Vegas hasn’t had passenger rail since 1997 when Amtrak pulled out. Now, Amtrak has proposed it would return, part of the Biden infrastructure bill. No details yet. But it raises the possibility of two passenger companies rolling into town. [news3lv.com]
They’re obsessed with trains. Will Biden bring them Nirvana?
Dan Cupper owns more than 10,000 train timetables; his oldest is from 1858. Ron Goldfeder and his wife collect kerosene lanterns that used to light the way for trains. Larry Shughart owns hundreds of American Flyer model trains. And you’re damn right they work. These men have loved trains for years; and by love, we’re talking fanatical obsessions. So when America’s most powerful railfan — President Joe Biden — stepped behind a lectern to outline the most ambitious infrastructure plan since Dwight Eisenhower, the three jumped at the invitation from Politico to get on a Zoom call and watch it together. [politico.com]
New passenger train heads off in Auckland, New Zealand
The first of a new passenger train service connecting Auckland and Hamilton has left the station. Operator Te Huia will run return services twice a day in a bid to ease traffic between the two cities. Around 8000 people commute between Auckland and Hamilton each day. Despite being dubbed the “renaissance of rail”, there’s some hesitancy from the public around the travel time. A full journey from Frankton, Hamilton, into Auckland’s Britomart takes about two and a half hours with a transfer at Papakura. [tvnz.co.nz]
