A New Train? Yes! It’s a Real Possibility.

There is news today of a proposal for a new train . . . and how long has it been since those words have been written? 

What’s more, Amtrak is apparently on board and supporting the idea. The new train would be an extension of Amtrak’s Crescent, which operates daily from New York City to New Orleans by way of Washington, D.C. and Atlanta.

From all reports, Amtrak seems to have responded positively to requests from several of the affected communities. Current thinking is to split the southbound Crescent at Meridian, Mississippi, and run the new train roughly 340 miles due west to Shreveport, Louisiana, and from there another 40 miles to Marshall, Texas. It would continue for another 180 miles due west from Marshall to Fort Worth, a second daily train between those two cities. 

There is an alternate possibility: a train originating at Shreveport and running from there to Dallas, but my information source rates this second option as very unlikely because there are virtually no passenger facilities at what would be the several station stops along that route.

The real significance here is Amtrak’s support of the first proposal. What with COVID, a major problem of short staffing because of the pandemic, and genuinely hostile elements in Congress, there has been little if any serious talk about expanding the network.

Until now . . . and that is indeed a positive sign.