LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville could be one step closer to bringing back passenger rail service to the area, which hasn't existed in the Derby City since 2003.
On Friday, the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) announced it received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The grant allows KIPDA to study the viability of re-establishing Amtrak in the area, connecting Louisville to Indianapolis and other major cities in the United States.
According to a news release, Clarksville and Louisville leaders applied for the planning grant back in March. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) applied for, and received, the same grant hoping to connect Indianapolis to Chicago.
Combined, officials said, these two projects would create a 313-mile route that would reconnect Louisville to Chicago, making it the first intercity passenger train rail operation in Kentuckiana in years.
“We are so excited to begin the process to potentially bring Amtrak back to Louisville, which would provide travelers new and efficient ways to get to and from Indianapolis, Chicago, and beyond,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said. “We’ve heard from so many Louisvillians eager to take advantage of this service and we can’t wait to get to work on developing a plan to make it a reality.”
The potential of bringing the service back has been discussed in the city for years, but on Friday Greenberg said "the timing is right, right now." He said the federal government investing their resources into the project means something.
"If this planning study goes well, and we're able to prove there's demand and show that there's a route that will work, we believe we will be very competitive for additional rounds of federal funding," he said, honing in on the opportunity to boost the economy.
City officials made it clear this is just step one in the planning phase, but Clarksville Planning Director Neal Turpin is optimistic it will lead to results.
"It's not set in stone yet, but we're very excited," Turpin told WHAS11. "When the grant came on, we jumped on it."
Clarksville is in the midst of a downtown revitalization, and for months have been planning for a new Amtrak station to be right at the center of it.
"We've really set ourselves up well for future growth, and having that base of development already there really makes future development more likely," Turpin said. "I've spent the last two years with this on my mind, and it's absolutely thrilling to see it come together."
Turpin believes the project has a good chance for approval, especially in Clarksville's case where the town has tracks in place -- right near the empty plot of land in which they're already working.
If the project were to move forward, we're told the final step would be for both Kentucky and Indiana to pitch in about 20 percent of the funds needed, with the federal government providing the rest.
Turpin believes the study alone could take a couple years.
How will the grant be used?
Officials said the new grant will allow KIPDA to look at several aspects of a new Amtrak passenger rail service and evaluate its viability in the region. This assessment includes:
- Looking at locations of potential stations along the corridor
- Level of frequency and speed that can be envisioned
- Ridership estimates
- Cost of improvements to the railroad infrastructure including passenger trainsets
- Signal improvements
- Passing sidings
- Double tracks
- Other improvements needed to make passenger rail service along this corridor "car competitive."
KIPDA's Executive Director, Jarrett Haley, said this grant brings Kentuckiana one step closer to the community's long desired passenger rail service.
"The proposed route would be transformational for economic development and travel opportunities for the region," Haley said.
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