Overview

OVERVIEW


An East-West passenger rail corridor across the South, 
connecting to the East Coast and New York City

 I-20 Corridor Long-Distance Train between Fort Worth and Atlanta
The establishment of this proposed long-distance passenger rail connection will be of great 
benefit to our local communities, our states, our Southern region, and our nation. 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was passed by Congress then signed into law by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2021.

The IIJA, the most significant infrastructure bill in more than four decades, opens up a range of transportation opportunities, particularly including Amtrak.

As the November 6, 2021 Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal states on the White House website: “The legislation positions rail to play a central role in our transportation and economic future, investing $66 billion in additional rail funding to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic. This is the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtrak’s creation, 50 years ago, and will create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight.”

This once-in-a-generation legislation will enable our federal government to make a much-needed investment in a broad spectrum of infrastructure which will help to improve and transform the lives of the people of the United States.  

This includes the possibility of helping to fund the I-20 Corridor passenger rail connection, sometimes referred to as the Crescent expansion.

The I-20 Corridor Council believes that this landmark investment in infrastructure provides a unique opportunity for the establishment of the I-20 Corridor long-distance passenger rail connection between Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta, Georgia.

That’s because the route along this corridor could be established for a comparatively small fraction of a percent of what will be needed for this project from the $16 billion which the IIJA has designated for long-distance passenger rail. It could also be completed in a relatively short period of time. We believe this rail project could provide an excellent return on investment and bring great benefits to the urban and rural communities along the I-20 Corridor route, our Southern region, and nation.  

Feasibility and Capacity Studies of the Route

Critical issues have been addressed by a feasibility study and capacity study that were funded by the Corridor Council with the proceeds from $738,000 in federal grant funding that it obtained with the assistance of former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. As set forth in the links on this website, separate studies implemented by the Corridor Council resulted in (1) Amtrak’s determination that the proposed route would generate a positive cash flow for the Company and be economically feasible without any annual operating subsidy for the affected states, and (2) the expansion of capacity for the tracks owned by the host railroads would cost approximately $82 million across the three states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi for a one-time expenditure of local, state and federal funds.

Importantly, from these studies, Amtrak and the local and state governments now have much of the information needed to approach the host railroads with the proposal to implement the two daily frequencies and to re-establish passenger rail service between Fort Worth and Atlanta, and north to New York City.

Route would provide service for millions

The proposed I-20 Corridor passenger rail route would not only provide an East-West connection between two of our nation’s fastest-growing urban mega-regions (greater Dallas/Fort Worth with 7.5 million in population and greater Atlanta with 6 million), it would also connect the rural communities and smaller cities along the route with each other, as well as to the East Coast, Washington D.C., and New York City. 

It would also provide Amtrak service for northern Louisiana, including cities such as Shreveport/Bossier City, which do not currently have Amtrak service. 

The railroad track for this 815-mile long-distance route between Fort Worth and Atlanta is already existing and in place. All that would be needed is relatively modest funding for rail sidings and the cooperation of the host railroads in coordinating freight and passenger rail service. 

There is currently a 345-mile portion of the route between Marshall, Texas, and Meridian, Mississippi, which, like the rest of the route, already has an existing track, but does not currently have passenger rail service. This track is owned by Kansas City Southern (KCS) which is currently completing merger negotiations with Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway. 

On January 6, 2022, Amtrak and Canadian Pacific (CP) announced the very positive news that they have reached an agreement formalizing CP’s support of Amtrak’s expansion in the Midwest and the South.
The announcement also stated: “Subject to CP’s application for control of KCS being approved by the STB (Surface Transportation Board), the agreement also includes CP’s commitment to support Amtrak efforts to work with the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) and others for the first service in more than 50 years on two U.S. routes.”

The two-passenger rail routes referenced above in the announcement, which would involve track owned by CP in the South, are Amtrak service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge and to study the potential for Amtrak service between Meridian, Miss., and Dallas, which is the proposed I-20 Corridor passenger rail route.

Click here to read this Amtrak news release and joint announcement.

Click here to read the I-20 Corridor Council news release commenting on the announcement by Amtrak and Canadian Pacific and its potential impact on the I-20 Corridor route.


HISTORY
The most current efforts to re-establish the I-20 Corridor route began in November 2006 when then-Harrison County Judge-elect Richard Anderson proposed to fellow members of the East Texas Corridor Council that the Council (now I-20 Corridor Council) take steps to accomplish its mission of working to establish a Southern rail connection along the I-20 Corridor by building a strong grassroots, multi-state coalition, enrolling the support of multiple Congressional delegations, as well as state, local officials, and other stakeholders from Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, as well as Alabama and Georgia.


PARALLEL STRATEGY
Building a Multi-State Coalition and Proving Economic Viability

Reaching westward to our colleagues 
in Dallas/Fort Worth and reaching eastward to our colleagues in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Corridor Council secured Memoranda of Understanding between four Councils of Governments, representing all 48 counties and parishes from Fort Worth eastward across northern Louisiana to the border of Mississippi. It also secured a resolution of support with the Southern Rail Commission (SRC). 

The multi-state coalition in support of the I-20 Corridor route is comprised not only of elected officials but also business owners, chambers of commerce, economic development and transportation organizations, presidents of universities and colleges, and other stakeholders.

Other governmental entities and rail advocacy organizations that are part of the multi-state coalition and/or support the proposed I-20 Corridor passenger rail route include the Southern Rail Commission (SRC), Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization (TEMPO), North Central Texas Council of Governments, East Texas Council of Governments, North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA), Coordinating & Development Corporation, Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments, North Delta Regional Planning & Development District, Rail Passengers Association, Texas Rail Advocates, and others. 

Throughout this process, it’s been a parallel strategy of working together to build relationships and a coalition around a common goal of establishing this mutually-beneficial passenger rail connection plus, continually working to determine what will make the route economically viable, which was the focus of the feasibility and capacity studies. 



Share by: