Local officials say feds have tapped the brakes on Louisville-Indy passenger rail plan

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville area's push for passenger train service hasn't been derailed but it's not moving — at least for now.

A regional planning group received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration in late 2023 to start researching a potential line between Louisville and Indianapolis. The corridor was one of dozens approved for the federal money meant to fund the first of three steps needed to ultimately launch new service. A Louisville-Indianapolis route likely would be operated by Amtrak.

The Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) finished that first step late last year, sending the scope, schedule and estimated cost for a service plan to federal officials, said Andy Rush, KIPDA's transportation director.

Rush said the document was refined into a final version submitted to the Railroad Administration in late January. At that point, he said, KIPDA expected to hear back within weeks.

But the federal agency hasn't responded, Rush told WDRB News in an interview. In addition, he said, it has stopped a series of meetings each month to "check in."

"Those have ceased altogether," Rush said.

Intercity rail map — Map of the projects funded in the Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor ID program and announced Friday, December 8, 2023 *(Courtesy FRA)*

Louisville Metro government and the Town of Clarksville are among the sponsors of the rail line proposal.

Clarksville remains "fully committed" to the project and has taken all the "necessary steps in our end to keep things moving forward," planning director Neal Turpin said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, since February, we've received no updates and those meetings are now on hold," he said. "We're hopeful to receive guidance soon, as we're eager and ready to proceed the moment we're given the green light."

During the initial announcement in 2023, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg touted passenger rail service between Louisville and Indianapolis as a "really exciting opportunity, and we're excited to pursue it."

Greenberg spokesperson Kevin Trager said last week that the mayor's administration remains "committed to working with the Federal Railroad Administration to bring this forward-thinking, transformative project to life."

But there is no timeline for a decision, Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flatau said in an email last week.

"FRA is currently working on extending their grant agreement and reviewing their deliverables for Step 1," he said.

A possible Louisville-Indianapolis corridor was among 69 such routes approved for planning with funds set aside by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A northern section connecting with Chicago also was included in the late 2023 announcement.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is overseeing planning work on the Indianapolis-Chicago corridor. Spokesperson Natalie Garrett said INDOT is still working on the first step and "continuing to meet and coordinate regularly with FRA regarding the corridor."

Louisville has not had passenger rail for more than 20 years. The Amtrak-operated Kentucky Cardinal train ran from Louisville to Chicago from 1999 to 2003, but the condition of the rail line often resulted in slow speeds.

In 2021, Amtrak unveiled a map of possible expansion routes that showed a line connecting Louisville to Indianapolis and Chicago. Later that year Congress passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure measure that gave Amtrak $66 million.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, and former Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3, were the only members of Kentucky's Congressional delegation to vote for the 2021 bill prioritized by former President Joe Biden.

Yarmuth's successor, Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey backed the grant request for the Louisville-Indianapolis line in 2023 and said last week that "we need to make sure that we get to the next step."

"What I can tell you is that now that we know they're having trouble, we're going to push even harder to get the answers of why this isn't going forward," McGarvey said, adding: "We need to have this happen in Louisville, and we're going to work to make it happen."

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