CHAPTER 34-A. PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE

§2165. Passenger rail service

            A. The legislature finds and declares:

            (1) Passenger rail service connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans is supported by current federal policy and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which provides billions of dollars for passenger rail improvements and service nationwide.

            (2) Passenger rail service connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans with key stops in Jefferson Parish, LaPlace, Gonzales, and the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is a key project in the 2021, More Trains. More Cities. Better Service: Amtrak's Vision for Improving Transportation Across America.

            (3) A recent survey which drew in over four thousand six hundred completed responses, primarily from parishes which would be directly served by the proposed rail service, found strong support region-wide for passenger rail as well as considerable interest in multimodal travel locally.

            (4) Passenger rail service along the Interstate 20 corridor between Marshall, Texas and Meridian, Mississippi through north Louisiana is supported by current federal policy and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which provides billions of dollars for passenger rail improvements and service nationwide.

            (5) Passenger rail services along the Interstate 20 corridor between Marshall, Texas and Meridian, Mississippi through north Louisiana with key stops in Monroe, Ruston, Delhi, and Shreveport-Bossier City.

            (6) The Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments commissioned the North Louisiana Passenger Rail Feasibility Study to assess the potential of initiating a startup passenger rail service, primarily including the locations directly served by the proposed rail service, found strong support from the input of local, regional, and state stakeholders and the public to implement passenger rail service.

            (7) The Department of Transportation and Development Rail Plan provides that the department, based on input received from stakeholders and the public during the preparation of the plan, shall work toward the following initiatives:

            (a) Work with neighboring states on rail initiatives which benefit the region.

            (b) Participate in the Southern Rail Commission on both passenger and freight initiatives.

            (c) Support the improvement of existing Amtrak services and Amtrak stations.

            (d) Support the development of new intercity rail initiatives that enhance mobility options for Louisianians.

            (8) Now is the ideal time to explore the opportunity to electrify passenger rail, clarify who the owners and operators of the track and rail line will be, and determine whether or not the track should be passenger-only or shared with freight, and what the safest, most efficient manner would be to best utilize the railway.

            B.(1) The Department of Transportation and Development shall prepare the scope, schedule, and budget to secure all necessary approvals and permits to begin passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and may apply for grants and other funds typical for passenger rail, as appropriate, and to facilitate development of the necessary platforms or stations to support passenger service.

            (2) Pursuant to this Subsection, the Department of Transportation and Development shall provide the scope, schedule, and budget to the joint committees on transportation, highways and public works before the start of the 2023 Regular Session.

            C. In implementing the provisions of Subsection B of this Section, the department may:

            (1) Identify a team of internal staff and professional consultants only as necessary to complete the preparations for service to commence.

            (2) Minimize the length of time required for the completion of the study and the initiation of service.

            (3) Seek approval with the National Environmental Policy Act.

            (4) Complete only those analyses, studies, and engineering required to establish initial service.

            (5) Initiate processes needed to obtain federal approvals for the more long-term and more costly improvements including rail upgrades, grade crossing improvements, and replacement of the Bonnet Carre' Spillway Bridge.

            D. Compliance with Subsections B and C of this Section shall not be construed to preclude the department from concurrently pursuing funding for railway and station improvements identified in any other state or local railway improvement plan.

            Acts 2022, No. 764, §2, eff. June 18, 2022.