[bystander1]

This could be pretty promising if Alabama would get its head out of the sand...

Could Amtrak be on track to return to Montgomery?
By Jill Nolin • August 16, 2009

The 21,100-mile web of Amtrak rails run to more than 500 destinations in 46 states -- and the Montgomery area would like to be one them.

Local and state officials can imagine Montgomery being a link in that web, making it possible for riders to get on a train downtown and arrive in New York within 24 hours.

And they are doing more than just imagining it. They're trying to bring the romance of the train back to the Capital City. They are laying the groundwork for what they hope will lead to a return of Amtrak service on a line that from 1989 to 1995 connected Mobile, Montgomery and Birmingham.

Those who are working on bringing back the train route, which was once known as the Gulf Breeze line, believe it would be a boost for Alabama tourism if the city linked to a grid that stretches all over country.

"It would be just another tool in our toolbox," Mayor Todd Strange said of the economic impact of passenger rail service in Montgomery. "You can get here by water. You can get here by bus. You can get here by air. You can get here by car. You can get here by train. You just put in another way for people to get to Montgomery."

The line would also provide an alternative form of transportation for locals -- and one that advocates for the train's return believe will be more attractive in an age where the general public skeptically waits for gas prices to increase.

While freight trains continue to frequent the tracks through Montgomery, the likes of a passenger train will not be seen here for some time. The state must first complete a rail plan, and then a ridership study would have to be done to determine whether it would be feasible to offer the service here.

Amtrak has shown an interest in bringing back passenger rail service to the Mobile-to-Birmingham route. But the company will not look into it further until the state of Alabama finishes its homework.

"We'll help you get there. We'll operate the trains for you. But Alabama has to take the first step toward where you want to be and how you want to get there," said Todd Stennis, director of Government Affairs-South for Amtrak.

Stennis visited Montgomery this week to brief local officials on Amtrak's interest in increasing passenger rail service in the Southeast region, which Stennis said was currently under served.

Today, Amtrak does run one route in Alabama. The Crescent, which used to connect to the Gulf Breeze, connects directly to Atlanta and New Orleans.

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click here to read the entire article from the Montgomery Advertiser.