Recent federal funding freezes put in place by President Donald Trump’s administration have cast a pall of uncertainty over transportation projects across the country. Over $20 billion in funding for such projects is at risk of being eliminated, according to Transportation for America.
Given that securing federal funding has emerged as a key hurdle for the proposed Baton Rouge-to-New Orleans passenger rail route, how might the project be impacted by those funding freezes?
John Spain, a member of the Southern Rail Commission, says that it’s too early to tell.
“The Biden administration parked $60 billion at the Federal Railroad Administration for intercity rail,” Spain says. “They literally parked it. So the question is, will this administration leave it there for those projects or will they take it for some other use? We simply don’t know yet. But the routes we’ve been working on have funding available through that mode of funding until we hear otherwise.”
Federal funding isn’t the only factor at play, as Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration has yet to take formal action on the project. While Landry has stated that he’s not opposed to establishing passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, he has suggested that his top priority is widening Interstate 10.
Spain said in October that he was actually encouraged by Landry’s comments because they “left the door open” for pursuing both highway improvements and the passenger rail project.
“This is one of those really rare opportunities where the governor can do both,” Spain said at the time. “He doesn’t have to choose. It’s important to remember that federal funding operates in different pots. There’s a pot for highway and there’s a pot for railroad. The highway money doesn’t take away from the railroad money and vice versa.”
The project appeared to be on the cusp of progress in 2023 when then-Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an agreement with Amtrak that laid the foundation for the resumption of passenger rail service between Louisiana’s two largest cities, a route last available in 1969.
Around the same time, the state applied for a $200 million federal grant to fund the project. Though that application was ultimately denied, the Department of Transportation and Development did receive $500,000 to complete an environmental study and a service development plan.
Despite the uncertainty, Spain says that Amtrak remains ready to provide necessary resources like crews and trains if the project gets the green light.
“At some point, the state has to enter into a formal contract with Amtrak saying we want to do it,” Spain says. “That’s kind of where the previous administration left it. All of that’s teed up just waiting for this administration to make a decision on what it wants to do. If they sign a contract, I think all the parties would be ready to move forward.”
