(Monroe, LA) On Thursday, Mayor Friday Ellis and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy welcomed leaders and stakeholders from Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama as they convened to discuss funding opportunities to bring the I-20 Corridor Passenger Rail Service from conversation to implementation.
The proposed service spans from the mega-region of Dallas-Fort Worth to Atlanta through connections with Amtrak’s Texas Eagle, City of New Orleans, and Crescent trains with news stations proposed in Monroe, Shreveport/Bossier, Ruston, and Vicksburg.
The Southern Rail Commission and the Transportation for America hosted the meeting. Thursday’s meeting included project updates, passenger rail funding opportunities, and coordination on next steps. Leaders and stakeholders from Monroe, Shreveport, Ruston, and Vicksburg offered presentations on why passenger rail is so important to the I-20 Corridor, with
Mayor Ellis representing the City of Monroe.
“It was an honor to host leaders and stakeholders from across state lines to discuss a project that is vital in driving future economic opportunities for northeast Louisiana. The City of Monroe is eager to take advantage of this opportunity to bring new visitors to our city to showcase the incredible things we have underway in Monroe,” said Mayor Ellis.
Senator Cassidy helped lead the convening and noted the powerful collaboration of federal, state, and local leaders and stakeholders who gathered at the event to support the passenger rail effort.
"This is about how we can build economic development for Louisiana, Mississippi, and east Texas in a way that makes life better for those who live there,” Senator Cassidy said. “One of the ways we move forward is through better transportation and infrastructure. To succeed, we have to have vision, strategy, and cooperation. This conference gives us the strategy and
cooperation to do that. Now, we just have to execute.”
In 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway proposed a merger with Kansas City Southern freight railroad, and once approved, is committed to partnering with Amtrak who would operate passenger rail service on the tracks along the I-20 Corridor.