Baton Rouge-New Orleans Rail Service Study Due

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A study to determine the feasibility of operating passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and how to finance the project should be completed by the end of the year.

Maj. Gen. John Basilica Jr., vice president and Gulf Coast district leader for HNTB, an engineering firm, said on Tuesday the goal of the study is to determine realistic capital expenditures for establishing the rail service.

Plans are for the rail line to start near downtown Baton Rouge, then make a stop either on Essen Lane or Bluebonnet Boulevard.

Basilica says the rail line will also make stops in Gonzales or Sorrento; in LaPlace; at Louis Armstrong International Airport; and stopping at the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal.