CSX Should Open A Second Mainline Between NOLA & Jacksonville

[Tower26]

This transportation issue was an agenda at one time then placed on the backburner for sometime since Katrina . Though CSX reopened the line , it would be more feasible to add a second main east/west between Jacksonville and New Orleans . With the protests and debate between Amtrak and southern coastal towns quietly still being played out , it's possible this could mandatorily happen in the near future with the construction of MIT Miami Intermodal Terminal projected to improve travel in Miami and increase both rail and trucking intermodal traffic in and of Miami .

 

Jacksonville , FL.

Jacksonville is a gateway city connecting Florida to the country . CSX tracks run north/south and east/west by way of CSX St. John's River Bascule Bridge that can handle doubletrack traffic and the tracks are double . The east/west segment in and out of the city is priority because at sometime between Tellahassee it becomes single tracked . 

 

New Orleans , LA. 

New Orleans handles traffic north and east/west . To the west in and out of the city the tracks are double by way of Huey P. Long Bridge . To the north in and out of the city , the tracks are single by way of Lake Ponchatrain Viaduct .To the east , the tracks are single .

 

Amtrak 

The debate and controversy between is mainly over Amtrak's refusal to return Superliner service to the NOLA/JAX corridor because the belief of unfeasibility . Due to this opinion , coastal towns are hurting transportationwise and economywise . Thus the continous fight to return service as towns have depots ready for use continually sit unused and closed . This a main reason why CSX should doubletrack this corridor .

 

I-10 & Other Benefits 

If CSX choose to have this corridor doubletracked . It would help those coastal towns by bringing jobs and the travel industry to those towns again . It would help to relieve dangerous and heavy traffic from I-10 saving interstate costs for repair and lower fuel costs . People do vacation in Florida and in other neighboring states other than Louisiana . Airlines are becoming too expensive and too strict in travel with the exception of military and gov. 

 

The reason why I think CSX should doubletrack this corridor is what I mentioned before that Amtrak will sometimes avoid single mainlines missing connecting towns entirely that rely on Amtrak as being its only reasonable means of transportation other than bus and pov if there is no airport .Coastal towns are suffering and a catalyst that can change that is possible increase in trailer/doublestack traffic east/west from and to Los Angeles/Long Beach/Houston/Jacksonville with the tracks doubled on this corridor . This would help the south in jobs . If Amtrak can be convinced to returned to the gulf coast to Florida, revenue ,jobs , and travel would greatly increase quickly . What you think ?

 

 

[Tower26]

It would also make rail travel easier from Houston to Atlanta , Chicago , DC , Midwest and New York instead of going north to Longview by bus just to go east by rail . Baton Rouge can the connector terminal . 

[Tower26]

It is highly possible for a return of the route from what is currently in the news this month about reopening the route . I mentioned in a earlier that increased COFC/TOFC intermodal traffic may possibly bring that into fruition . This may be reality because intermodal demand is widely taking over from all directions .

[Tower26]

An admendment was brought to the house floor by a Las Vegas Congresswoman a few minutes ago and was agreed to which was to reopen some routes in the western part of the country . Phoenix and Las Vegas . Phoenix hosted Amtrak's Desert Wind it would be good for service to return there . She also mentioned Houston to Dallas and other areas .