$84 billon in President Biden’s infrastructure bill is dedicated to expanding passenger rail, connecting Baton Rouge to New Orleans.
The plan to connect Louisiana’s two largest cities has long been talked about but funding was always an issue. Now, if approved by Congress, Amtrak could start work on the project.
John Spain, with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, has worked toward this goal for years. He and Amtrak have worked together planning what it would look like and which cities it would go through, ultimately creating a master plan. Once completed, the rail line would run from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, starting in downtown Baton Rouge with stops in Baton Rouge’s medical district, Gonzales, Laplace, the Louis Armstrong Airport, Jefferson, and downtown New Orleans.
