Speakers say B.R./N.O. rail line still possible, if public rallies behind it

A rail line connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans is a possibility, if residents and local governments strongly support the idea, according to speakers at the CONNECT Policy Forum held today. CONNECT, a project of the Center for Planning Excellence, is a coalition of dozens of organizations from Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development chose not to apply for federal money that might have been available for rail through the federal stimulus bill in 2009. However, Baton Rouge and New Orleans have signed an intrastate rail compact and have formed a quasi-governmental entity that will look to identify a possible rail corridor. “If you sell the need, people will figure out a way to fund it,” says William Daniel, acting director of East Baton Rouge Parish’s Department of Public Works. State Rep. Michael Jackson, D-Baton Rouge, says other funding sources, including “third-party” sources, might be available, although he was not specific. “We’re not stopping just because this administration said no,” Jackson says. “We’re hoping that changes, and we’ll be ready when the time comes.” John Robert Smith, CEO of Reconnecting America and the former mayor of Meridian, Miss., described convincing former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott to become a big Amtrak supporter by proving to him that it was important to his constituents. Smith suggested federal funding was available for transportation planning and infrastructure in south Louisiana, partly because of sympathy tied to recent disasters. “The time to act is now,” he says. “You don’t have five years to figure this out.” CONNECT released a new policy brief today, which lays out strategies for implementing a better transportation network in the Baton Rouge/New Orleans region, click here to download.—David Jacobs