A train from Mobile to Montgomery? Study underway to determine feasibility

Andrew J. Yawn | Montgomery Advertiser

Show Caption Hide Caption Study for potential Montgomery-to-Mobile train route begins A timeline for the study of a potential passenger train route connecting Montgomery to Mobile. It's the second phase of study, after the first phase examined a route connecting Montgomery to Birmingham.

Michael Hora remembers when Montgomery residents could travel by train to other parts of the nation.

He still fondly recalls boarding a passenger car as a high schooler and riding the rail from Montgomery up the East Coast to Maryland for a family vacation.

So when Hora attended a public meeting about a proposed train system that would connect Alabama’s capital city to Mobile and Birmingham at Montgomery City Hall on Thursday, he and other city residents expressed excitement about the potential.

“The experience I had, it still sticks with me. See the sights, I met some people my age, played cards in the lounge car. I just remember it being a good time,” Hora said. “I think it’s a great idea. I hope that it happens.”

Whether or not it happens depends on the feasibility study that’s set to examine the cost, route and potential ridership of a passenger rail connecting Montgomery — which has not had passenger rail service since 1995 — to Mobile.

The study is Phase II of the overall plan to connect Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.

Phase I — which began in 2012 and was completed in 2014 — examined the potential route between Birmingham and Montgomery and estimated one-way ticket fare to cost between $25-$30 per person.

The study is being conducted by AECOM, which was hired by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).

AECOM planning transportation manager Brian Smart was on hand Thursday to answer questions about the study and said details such as the type of train, how fast the train will go, and if it will utilize existing railways all depend on first determining if there is demand for a passenger rail system connecting three of Alabama’s largest cities.

“We’re hearing demand. The population is increasing and with that comes changes in how people want to travel and how people get to work in south Alabama,” Smart said, adding that the goal is to find the lowest cost per rider.

On average, he said, it takes 10-15 years to get from the feasibility study phase to the first passenger setting foot on a train, although he said all projects are different, and that the success of any plan will rely heavily on buy-in and backing from state, local and federal stakeholders.

The Phase I study’s projections were forecast for 2035.

The study is projected to conclude in spring of 2019 after which Smart and his team will return to Montgomery to share potential routes. The final package will be submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration in the fall of 2019 to determine the next step.

If constructed, Alabama’s new passenger rail system could have an impact that goes beyond state lines. Running perpendicular to the planned Alabama railroad are plans to potentially connect New Orleans to Mobile or Mobile to Jacksonville.

A train between Montgomery and Birmingham would also mean access to Amtrak’s existing Crescent line, a 30-hour train ride that connects New York to New Orleans with several stops along the way.

“If you connect to the main Amtrak line, you have access to go anywhere in the country, 500 destinations where you don’t have to drive or fly,” said city of Montgomery Planning Director Robert Smith. “I think it would be great for Montgomery.”

A connection to Birmingham would mean Montgomery resident Sandrina Vaughn could more easily visit the farmer’s market at The Pepper Place, which she said she enjoys perusing on Saturdays. A potential stop in Atmore could mean growth for the casino town.

Montgomery resident Deanna Kell used to live in Choctaw County and said her family used to drive to Meridian, Mississippi, and take the Amtrak to New Orleans.

“It’s just a fun, family trip,” Kell said. “And you really can’t drive to these cities for those ticket prices. You get to see the sites and enjoy your family.”

After seeing the proposed route to Mobile, Kell first thought of summer vacations.

“Interstate 65 is so congested, we didn’t even go to the beach this summer,” Kell said. “If there was a train, I’d probably hop on it twice a month in the summertime.

“It offers all kinds of new things.”