Why High Speed Rail to Louisville? (Archival Page)

Reasons for supporting high speed rail to Louisville and Lexington

We Win!

See the Louisville High Speed Rail home page for details.

There are many, many reasons for supporting a high speed rail route to Louisville and even beyond to Lexington or Nashville. There are big benefits to both Indiana and Kentucky, as well as to the Midwest network as a whole.

Louisville is a 1.0 million population metro area and a major regional center on par with other destinations on the Midwest network. Combined with Columbus, IN; Frankfort, KY; and Lexington, there would be 1.6 million people near stops on this corridor. This is far higher than such small city destinations already on the network such as Carbondale, IL; Quincy, IL; Green Bay, WI; Port Huron, MI; and Omaha. If upgraded inter-city rail will break even to those cities, it seems that extending a rail line a mere 110-185 miles to Louisville or Lexington would result in a route that would also easily pay for itself.

Kentucky was not part of the rail study group. However, this is no justification for excluding a route to Louisville. Since the network will be funded from 80% federal funds - and thus by all of America - it is imperative that the best network be designed based on solid engineering and planning criteria, not whether or not a state participated in a study. I believe a Louisville route would be far more justified on a technical basis than many of the proposed small city spurs and routes that are already included.

Benefits to the Network

• Upgrading the rail route between Indianapolis and Chicago will cost $169 million. This is for a mere five round trips per day between Indy and Chicago. Adding service to Louisville allows greater use to be made of this large investment, increasing its financial return. Likewise, $300-400 million will be spent on the Chicago terminal. Adding Louisville service makes better use of this infrastructure investment as well. With transfers to other lines, a Louisville service could also increase the returns to other segments of the network.

• Getting Kentucky (and possibly Tennessee) on board with this network increases the Congressional clout that can be brought to bear to obtain funding for the network. Other areas of the country are also seeking major federal funding for rail. In this competitive environment the Midwest needs all the help it can get.

• There is already a feeder bus service proposed from Louisville to Indianapolis. However, this service will require a 50% operating subsidy. A rail route to Louisville could turn a profit and generate money instead of draining away money.

• If service from Louisville were through routed to Chicago, this would increase the number of runs between Indianapolis and Chicago, increasing the attractiveness of that segment and boosting ridership.

Benefits to Louisville and Kentucky

• This route would bring passenger rail service to Louisville - currently one of the largest cities in America without it - for the first time in years.

• An extension to Lexington would link Kentucky's two most important cities with each other and with the state capital.

• High speed rail would provide a competitive mode of travel to regional destinations (particularly Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Frankfort, and Lexington). By competing with airlines and over the road bus service, this rail line would help keep travel costs low for Louisville travelers.

• There is currently no direct airline service between Louisville and Indianapolis. A rail link would provide an alternate high speed travel mode between these two important regional centers for those who cannot or do not wish to drive.

• The rail service would have its station in downtown Louisville, reinforcing it as the transportation hub of the region. By bringing travelers downtown, this line would reinforce (and benefit from) downtown Louisville's recent dramatic resurgence.

• A downtown terminal could be connected to the proposed South End light rail line and to the TARC bus system, boosting ridership on the city's local transit system.

• This route would upgrade critical sections of track needed for commuter rail service to Southern Indiana or the East End. This could help make that service easier to justify in the future since a portion of the capital expenditures needed will have already been invested for inter-city service.

• This route would mean jobs and tax revenue for Kentucky. Since the federal government is proposed to pay 80% of the construction cost, this would we an excellent way to leverage federal funds for economic development. The operation of the line would also employ many Kentuckians. *

• Shifting trips from auto to rail will help alleviate Louisville's ozone problem. (The region is currently out of compliance with federal ozone standards).

• Being on the Midwest high speed rail network ensures that Louisville maintains a transportation infrastructure that is equal to that of other major Midwestern cities. If the network became very successful and Louisville was not on it, this could have negative economic consequences. This is a $4.5 billion major transportation investment and Louisville cannot afford to lose out.

Benefits to Indianapolis and Southern Indiana

The benefits to Indiana are very similar to the benefits to Louisville: new rail service to Southern Indiana where none exists, jobs, leveraging more federal dollars, reduction in traffic congestion, and so on. However, there are some additional benefits beyond this.

• This route would turn Indianapolis to a mini-hub on the rail system. Routes would radiate from the city to major cities in three directions, something that is matched by no other city on the network but Chicago.

• The L&I route to the south is an ideal commuter rail corridor to the South Side. As with Louisville, this capital investment could help make South Side commuter rail more attractive. The L&I line directly serves Columbus, Edinburgh, Franklin, Whiteland, the Greenwood and the Greenwood Industrial Park, Southport, the University of Indianapolis, and the Lilly Campus, where the line could connect with the proposed northeast corridor light rail line.

• This line would put downtown Indianapolis within easy reach of Southern Indiana and Louisville. This might attract, for example, shoppers making a weekend day trip to Nordstrom, or school children from New Albany visiting the State Capitol and State Museum.

* Many of the jobs associated of with this project should properly be classified as costs. However, the project should have an overall economic benefit for the area.

Just Say No to Frames, Ads, and Animated GIF's