NEW ORLEANS – Mayor LaToya Cantrell today issued the following statement regarding the announcement of an impending merger between the Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern. This partnership provides an opportunity to expand rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, using funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) which includes approximately $ 66 billion in subsidies for services passenger rail and expansion programs.
“Canadian Pacific’s recent commitment to provide daily round-trip service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a critical step forward in our continued effort to connect New Orleans by rail along the Southern Gulf. “, said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “This essential connection will expand transportation and employment opportunities in the area and may provide an additional evacuation mode for forecast storms, providing residents with immediate transit service out of harm’s way in the event of an emergency.” This is a win-win solution for our entire region, connecting communities through transformative infrastructure projects and improving public safety as we continue to experience faster and more intense storms. ”
The City remains committed to expanding passenger rail service to and from New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. This week, James Clements, senior vice president of strategic planning and technological transformation for the Canadian Pacific Railway, announced the commitment of daily round-trip service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge pending a merger with Kansas City Southern. Funding for the expansion of passenger rail transport can come from several sources, but the recently passed Law on Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs offers at least $ 66 billion for rail and includes several relevant programs such as the federal-state partnership for intercity rail subsidies.
The projected benefits of rail service are as follows:
- Ensures our ability to compete as a super region while investing in connecting the two largest cities in the state
- Provides an additional and critical means of evacuation in the event of a natural disaster when transporting patients to hospitals in Baton Rouge
- Provides alternative transport link to NOLA International Airport
- Serves as the backbone of a multimodal network that will allow employers to access a much larger and more diverse labor pool
- Provides workers with significantly increased access to jobs and affordable housing, as well as reduced travel costs
- Allows cyclists to work while traveling, creating more productive journeys
- Predicts over 200,000 runners per year, plus additional runners for large scale events
This initiative is a collaborative effort of partners Southern Rail Commission, SoLA Super Region Committee, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, GNO, Inc., and more.
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