I want to introduce a subject if we could get some momentum going on could be quite feasible to re-establish Amtrak service to Louisville. With the recent stimulus funds and additional funding to Amtrak if we could get Metro Council, State of Kentucky, Nashville TN, State of Tennessee, Birmingham AL and State of Alabama on board I believe we could at least get a demonstration route for at least one year established between Louisville through Nashville TN to Birmingham AL to connect with Amtrak's Crescent service at Birmingham. Such a service would not only connect with The Crescent to New Orleans but a short layover in Birmingham would permit travelers to connect East to Atlanta GA.

I am going to discuss this with the Executive Director at The Kentucky Railway Museum who have a great deal of contact with Kentucky State officials and CSX Railroad.

This service would only require one set of equipment. The schedule while leaving from Louisville at approximately 5:00 am should not be detrimental to ridership. The Cardinal (both East and West bound) goes through Cincinnati OH in the middle of the night yet they have good passenger boarding numbers in both directions. Since the service could stop at E-town then Bowling Green and Nashville a great deal of college student traffic if promoted could be generated especially for basketball and football games. Also, quite a bit of traffic might be generated for persons going to Tennessee Titans football games in Nashville.

The possible ridership would be greater than Indy-Chicago's due to a number of logistical factors.

First, the trackage conditions between Louisville, Nashville and Birmingham would permit speeds comparable to most Amtrak short distance and long distance routes that have the highest ridership counts. The trackage is what is known as Class One with Centralized Traffic Control signaling which permits greater dispatching of trains options and high track speeds. The schedule between Loujisville, Nashville and Birmingham should permit covering the approximately 390 miles with station stops at Elizabethtown and Bowling Green KY, Nashville TN, Decatur AL (Huntsville AL) of somewhere between seven hours and fifty minutes to eight hours and ten minutes.

Second, this route has a number of colleges and universities along the route where students could be sold on the idea of commuting home or to sporting events via rail. Also, this route has a National Park along its routes Mammoth Cave National Park ( a possible flagstop could be established at Park City KY for those going to Mammoth Cave). Nashville TN has a number of attractions appealing to the traveling public not only for people from North of Nashville but even more so for persons from the South.

Third, this route would only require one set of train equipment to operate and would connect with a major well-patronized long distance route: The Crescent to New Orleans and Atlanta and other cities in the Carolinas.

Fourth, the route would permit a shorter elapsed trip time between Louisville and Nashville than the previously fastest passenger train service on this route to New Orleans, fifteen hours, versus the Louisville & Nashville Railroads Humming Bird of sixteen hours.

Fifth, this route would put back on Amtraks system two of the largest if not the two largest metropolitan areas now not directly served by Amtrak, Louisville KY and Nashville TN.

Sixth, there had previously been a great deal of interest in Nashville TN, The State of Tennessee and The State of Alabama in expanded passenger rail service. Contacts would have to be re-established or new contacts interest gauged but, I believe there is still great interest in the passenger rail transportation option.

To my knowledge there is no other corridor not currently served by Amtrak in one hundred mile to the closest Amtrak station stop than this area in size in the entire country with the population density of this area.

Let me know your thoughts. But, I believe this passenger rail service would worth efforts by Metro Louisville; and other government entities to at least get Amtrak to consider a one year trial service on the route.