Staff Reports
ETCOG’s Rural Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) announced on Tuesday that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has officially designated the I-20 Corridor Intercity Passenger Rail Service as one of the selected corridors for the FRA’s FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program (CIDP). This marks a significant milestone for the long-advocated rail connection between Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta, Georgia.
The I-20 Corridor long-distance passenger rail connection between Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta, Georgia—through Mineola, Longview, Marshall, Texas, and northern Louisiana—has been advocated for and collaborated on by a coalition of county judges, mayors, local, state, and federal elected officials, and grassroots advocates, for nearly 17 years.
“This is a significant step forward for the full I-20 long-distance rail route that is envisioned between Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta, Georgia, and connecting with the East Coast and New York City,” said RTPO chair Leward LaFleur, “East Texas is the perfect route for this project, allowing the development of new services to align on existing infrastructure.”
The grant is for $500,000 for the first step in the program to help provide passenger service and other operations to the area.