- Gadsden County leaders believe joining the Southern Rail Commission will bring more transportation options to neighbors.
- The previous Sunset Limited route was suspended after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Western portion of the tracks.
- Watch the video to hear how commissioners hope to get the governor's help.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A letter to Governor Ron DeSantis could be the first step to bringing passenger rail back to Gadsden County. This could economically impact Gadsden County.
“I’m excited about all options on the table.”
More transportation options T.J. Lewis and other leaders want to bring to neighbors in this community.
“This is very important for us.”
Gadsden County’s Economic Development Team and the Apalachee Regional Planning Council have been working on an economic development plan for this community for a year now.
One of the things they say could be a positive contributor to the county’s growth is adding passenger rail transportation.
“The top three benefits to passenger rail expansion are economic development opportunities, increased connectivity, and transportation options."
Caroline Smith is the Economic Development Manager at ARPC. She says the the "Sunset Limited" route once connected New Orleans to Jacksonville. It's the dotted line in the picture below.
Amtrak suspended the Sunset Limited after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Western portion of the tracks in 2005.
Smith says Gadsden County isn’t the only one on board with bringing passenger rail back.
“Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor came to our board to share the idea that passenger rail could be a great benefit to our region.”
County Commissioners drafted the letter below. It asks Governor Ron DeSantis permission to “…become a member and join the Southern Rail Commission (SRC).”
ARPC also wrote a letter in support.
“We’ll be bringing people from across the country through Gadsden County who have never seen this part of Florida or this part of the United States. They’ll come and see how green and lush it is and they’ll look out and say ‘Hey honey, this is where I want to retire, this is where I want to set up shop.”
County Commissioners will discuss the letter's approval at the next commission meeting on November 4th.
Leaders tell me this rail line could bring additional options and routes for emergency evacuations.
