Economic development agencies, legislators, DOTD talk high-speed rail

Members of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Greater New Orleans Inc. and local legislative delegations met this morning with Department of Transportation and Development Secretary William Ankner to discuss potential commuter and high-speed rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Ankner says this was the first in a series of meetings to discuss ways the state can position itself to land federal money for high-speed rail service. Connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans with high-speed rail has been a goal of local economic development groups. “We recognize the fact there are a number of hurdles, such as how to pay for the operating costs,” says Ankner. The price tag for commuter rail service has grown from $300 million to $450 million. That includes a multi-step system that would eventually be capable of average speeds of 110 miles per hour; the stretch over the Bonnet Carre Spillway, however, would average 79 miles per hour. While the Obama administration recently announced $8 billion in grants for establishing rail service, Ankner says there are opportunities for other federal money. “There’s funding included for rail in the budget the president just put forth,” he says. The group plans to meet again in six to eight weeks. —Timothy Boone