BR-N.O. passenger rail service estimated at $262 million
Startup costs for a passenger train linking Baton Rouge and New Orleans on existing freight tracks would be $262 million, with federal funds underwriting up to 80 percent of that amount, a rail study shows.
The study by HNTB Corp. said the cost is substantially less than the $448 million estimated in a 2010 study for the state of Louisiana.
Tickets could be as low as $10 each way. Ridership for twice daily service is estimated at 210,000 in the first year, HNTB said. The service would include stops in between the two cities, and could begin with twice daily trips, ultimately growing to regular service with a possible station near the New Orleans International Airport.
The earlier plan recommended rail improvements for speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.
HNTB recommends intercity passenger rail operations with maximum speeds of 79 mph, a rate that it said is competitive with car travel.
http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com...vice-estimated
Rail from Baton Rouge to New Orleans could cost as little as $10 a trip, study says
A trip on the proposed passenger train between Baton Rouge and New Orleans would take about an hour and 35 minutes with seven stops on the way, a recently released feasibility study says.
The train, which would travel between the cities once in the morning and once in the afternoon to start off with, would cost a little as $10 each way and serve about 210,000 passengers in the first year.
The study, commissioned by three nonprofit groups from both cities and completed by Baton Rouge firm HNTB Corp, provides an alternative route for the 1.4 million people who living in the parishes along the rail line.
http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge..._river_default
SIGN ME UP! I usually work out of BR 1 day every other week. If I could take a train to BR and have someone pick me up instead of dealing with the drive, especially the hellish traffic coming back, I'd do it in a heartbeat. And at $10 each way? That's a no-brainer.
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