Any high speed rail plan involving Kentucky must look at these three options

Extension from Louisville to Nashville via CSX trackage  with stops at Elizabethtown, Cave City ( Mamouth Cave)  and Bowling Green. This route had eight trains per day into the late 1950's with L&N  Azaelean, Hummingbird, Pan  every other day service via the South Wind  and a local service via trains 7 and 8

By 1960  trains 7 and 8 were eliminated  and the  Azaelean became  local trains 1 and 4. which continued untill 1966. In 1968 The Hummingbird was discontinued and the Pan and South Wind  continued in 1970 the schedules of the Pan and South Wind were combined into one train between Louisville and Montgomery where  the Pan continued to Mobile New Orleans and the South Wind to Jacksonville  this continued untill May 1 1971 when the Pan was discontinued from Cincinnati to New Orleans  leaving  The South Wind  operated by Amtrak  from Chicago to Indianapolis to Louisville to Nashville and points south via the Penn Central, L&N and Seaboard Coast Line,

In 1973 the  trains name became the Floridian  by 1974 track conditions were so bad on the Penn Central the Federal Railroad Administration  deamed the tracks  unsafe  at 10 mph between Indianapolis and Louisville following a derailment at 5 mph at Seymour In .  A detour route was imposed via  ex Chicago and Eastern Illinois and Louisville and Nashville Trackage  between Chicago  Evansville and Nashville, Amtrak operated  charter Greyhound bus service from Indianapolis to Nashville  for nearly six months when  a derailment on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois forced a detour for the detour down the ex Monon railroad tracks via Lafayette Bloomington and Bedford to Louisville  this route became the route of the train until its demise in October 1979

The return of passenger train service between Indianapolis and Louisville was ruled out by Amtrak from 1979 until the mail express contract was acquired which saw the Kentucky Cardinal return in 1999. with speeds of 35 mph  over the once troubled  trackage. it was discontinued in 2004 partly  due to track speeds

The sad reality of it all is that since 1974 no group has ever pushed for the upgrading of the line between Louisville and Indianapolis beyond Louisville and Indiana Raillroads own investment to allow for 35 mph service to get the  Amtrak contract.

The line was still 10 to 15 mph hour when it was acquired by Con Rail as part of the bailout of Penn Central, It remained that until some small improvements were done by Louisville and Indiana Railroad

During the recent Tiger rail grant process this line was not considered by any one at IN DOT rail division because it lacked the political push in Southern Indiana and Kentucky.

Unless the upgrade occurs in Indiana any efforts to the south will have little consequence. And while Louisville may be on a map . It is not a high priority of  Indiana High Speed Rail or the Midwest High Speed Rail coalition. As a long time advocate ( since 1974 ) , Trust me  Louisville is not their top concern. Been to  many meetings, many places, along with others from KIRA including  Eustace Durrett, Larry Wright and Charlie Castner 

Maybe in thirty more years when all of us who can remember fast trains between Chicago and Louisville are dead maybe we might get lucky. but for now I do not see any of these coalitions rushing to Louisvilles door 

John Owen 

Director Kentucky Indiana Rail Advocates