Louisiana And Amtrak Agree To Revive Train Service Between New Orleans, Baton Rouge

Louisiana is a step closer to connecting its capital city to New Orleans via a revived train line.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a service development agreement that will advance the return of intercity passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, about an hour-long commute.

According to the agreement, passenger service could start as early as 2027. The plan is to start with one round trip a day. More rides will be added as riders increase. Along the route, passengers can expect stops in Gonzales, Laplace, and Jefferson Parish.

“An Amtrak line connecting Louisiana’s capital to the largest metropolitan area in the state will have immense economic benefits for both cities and the parishes in between,” Edwards said in a news release. “Not only will this service potentially reduce the number of vehicles on the roadways which will result in less congestion, but it will also connect communities through employment opportunities and allow for more transportation options for festivals, sporting events, and concerts.”

A $20 million settlement from the Road Home Program is helping fund the project, reviving the passenger train service that stopped running in 1969.

“This project is just one of many ways Louisiana infrastructure is moving forward,” said Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Eric Kalivoda. “This will serve commuters and also expand tourism opportunities by providing a safe, reliable transportation system.”

“In poll after poll, here in Louisiana and nationally, when given the option to take a train rather than drive, the public wants Amtrak and passenger trains as a travel choice,” Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gardner said.

The proposed route is scheduled to take 75 to 90 minutes. Amtrak will release schedules and fares closer to the launch of the new service.

Amtrak will use tracks currently in place and owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CN railways. The tracks run along the I-10 corridor connecting New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Infrastructure upgrades along the route will begin next year.

The new route will link the New Orleans to Mobile corridor projected to open in 2024, the governor’s office said. These routes will join the Sunset Limited, City of New Orleans, and Crescent lines in Amtrak’s Louisiana route schedule.

Source: AP

As Mardi Gras Nears, New Orleans Brings Back Mask Mandate

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans will reinstitute an indoor mask mandate to fight the spread of COVID-19 while readying for an influx of visitors for the Mardi Gras season, the city health director said Tuesday.

Dr. Jennifer Avegno said the mandate takes effect Wednesday at 6 a.m. and will apply to participants in the annual Mardi Gras balls that take place in the city.

Avegno said Louisiana’s statewide coronavirus daily hospitalization numbers have grown in three weeks “by a factor of seven.” She said those cases have put a strain on hospitals, with emergency room waits as long as 12 hours in some facilities.

Growing numbers of coronavirus cases, driven by the omicron variant can affect treatment for people seeking treatment for other illnesses or injuries, Avegno said.

And, while Avegno said she’s hoping cases will subside in coming weeks, she added hospitalizations and deaths show up weeks after cases are reported. That could mean continued pressure from coronavirus cases about the time emergency rooms face an annua uptick in patient numbers as Mardi Gras nears and tourists, some of them overindulging in alcohol, flood the city.

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, falls on March 1 this year. Major parades, which draw as many as a million locals and visitors to city streets, begin in the last two weeks of February.

The city already has a requirement that people show proof of vaccinations or negative tests for entry into bars, restaurants and numerous other venues.

Mardi Gras in 2020 became what officials later realized was an early Southern superspreader of COVID-19. Festivities were largely canceled last year. This year, officials are determined to proceed with Mardi Gras events, while enforcing vaccine and testing requirements.

The state health department said Tuesday that just over 1,900 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Louisiana as of Monday, up from about 200 in mid-December.