The plan (download draft below) outlines Kentucky’s rail vision and supporting goals, identifying strategies for rail investments that are needed to increase economic growth, improve quality of life, and improve equity of the “most vulnerable and impacted communities” in the commonwealth of Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC).
This “high-level guidance document,” KYTC said, describes the Statewide Rail Plan process and provides a snapshot of current operations and opportunities, proposed short- and long-range capital improvements, and related studies. While it does not propose policy or funding recommendations, KYTC said the plan “will be a helpful resource for private railroad companies seeking to expand or enhance rail services through federal grant opportunities.” It is intended to meet the requirements established by the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), as amended by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act).
Two virtual public meeting sessions will be held on Jan. 21, 2025, to review the draft plan and for the KYTC project team to answer questions. The public can register for the 1 p.m. EST session or the 5 p.m. EST session.
“Whether you’re a rail user, a business owner, or resident, your input matters to help plan the future of both passenger and freight rail in Kentucky,” said Jeremy Edgeworth, KYTC Freight, Rail and Waterways Coordinator. “Good planning considers not just current needs, but also anticipated growth and development and we look forward to hearing the thoughts of rail enthusiasts throughout Kentucky.”
After public feedback, KYTC said it will finalize the rail plan and send it to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for acceptance.
Kentucky’s Rail System
“Kentucky’s rail system plays an essential role in linking the commonwealth’s key industries with markets throughout North America,” according to KYTC. “The agriculture, automotive, chemical, coal, and manufacturing industries are particularly dependent on rail for their freight transportation needs. Although Amtrak’s long-distance passenger rail services in the commonwealth are limited, Amtrak provides essential transportation services for Kentuckians.”
The Kentucky freight rail system (see map above) is operated by five Class I, one Class II (regional), and 12 Class III (short line) railroads. It comprised approximately 2,800 total active rail miles in 2024. In 2021, Kentucky’s freight railroads carried close to 200 million tons of freight, or more than 3.5 million railcars, which either originated and/or terminated within or traveled through the commonwealth. The leading commodity group originating in Kentucky by tonnage is coal, followed by transportation equipment, then by chemicals or allied products. For inbound and intrastate movements, the top commodities by tonnage included coal, chemical or allied products, and petroleum or coal products. According to KYTC, total rail freight flows in Kentucky are forecasted to increase through 2045 at a rate of 1% per year.
Two long-distance Amtrak trains serve the commonwealth (see map above). While there is currently no commuter or intercity corridor service provided, there are four recreational or heritage railroads offering excursion trips. Amtrak run on the track of host freight railroads CSX and CN. Its two long-distance trains are the Cardinal (operates three days per week between Chicago and New York City, with local stops in Maysville, South Shore-South Portsmouth, and Ashland) and City of New Orleans (operates daily between Chicago and New Orleans and serves Fulton). According to KYTC, nearly 9,000 riders boarded and alighted at the four Kentucky Amtrak Stations in 2023. Of these, more than 4,000 boardings and alightings were at the Fulton Station.
Proposed Passenger Rail Improvements, Investments
The FRA in December 2023 announced its selection of initial corridors for acceptance into the Corridor ID Program for Fiscal Years 2022-2023. The agency selected 69 corridors across 44 states, with the goal of upgrading 15 existing rail routes, adding or extending service on 47 new routes, and advancing seven new high-speed rail projects. Several of the initial corridors that were selected for the program either pass through Kentucky or serve areas in close proximity to Kentucky, according to KYTC. These include:
- Louisville-Indianapolis Passenger Rail Corridor, sponsored by the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA). This proposed corridor would connect Louisville, Kent., to Indianapolis, Ind., and provide new service on an existing alignment over which Amtrak discontinued service in the early 2000s.
- Daily Cardinal Service, sponsored by Amtrak. This proposed corridor would provide improvements to the existing Amtrak Cardinal service between New York City and Chicago, Ill., via Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois (including Cincinnati, Ohio, and Indianapolis, Ind.) by increasing service frequency from three days per week to daily.
- Indianapolis-Chicago, sponsored by the Indiana Department of Transportation. This proposed corridor would supplement service provided by the existing Amtrak long-distance Cardinal train between Indianapolis, Ind., and Chicago, Ill., by adding new round-trip trains within the corridor and improving travel times.
- Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati (3C&D) Corridor, sponsored by the Ohio Rail Development Commission. This proposed corridor would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and provide new service on an existing alignment.
- Atlanta-Chattanooga-Nashville-Memphis Corridor, sponsored by the City of Chattanooga, Tenn. This proposed corridor would connect Atlanta, Ga., to Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis, Tenn., and provide new service on existing alignments.
- Chicago to Carbondale Corridor, sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The proposed corridor would provide improvements to the existing Illini/Saluki service between Chicago and Carbondale, Ill., by improving travel times and reliability.
“Under the terms of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), states (or groups of states) are responsible for funding the costs of Amtrak trains that operate on routes of 750 miles or less,” KYTC reported. “Amtrak trains that operate on routes of more than 750 miles are defined as long-distance trains, which are funded predominantly by Amtrak through annual grants provided by Congress and administered by the FRA. Kentucky currently is served only by long-distance Amtrak trains. Any future effort that results in the introduction of an Amtrak service in Kentucky on a route of 750 miles or less will require the state, perhaps in partnership with regional or local entities, to provide public money to support the operation.”
KYTC also reported that Section 22214 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act required the FRA, under delegation from the Secretary of Transportation, to conduct an Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity passenger rail service and the potential for new Amtrak long-distance routes.
FRA held 24 regional working group meetings between January 2023 and June 2024, divided among four series of meetings. KYTC participated in working group meetings held for the Southeast region and for the Midwest region. “The third meeting series, held in February 2024, presented a proposed network of ‘preferred routes’ for future planning and development,” KYTC said. Among the 15 long-distance routes identified as preferred routes, two pass through Kentucky, and a third serves cities in close proximity to Kentucky. Those routes are:
- Chicago – Miami (serving Louisville, Bowling Green, and Nashville).
- Detroit – New Orleans (serving Cincinnati, Louisville, Bowling Green, and Nashville).
- Dallas/Fort Worth – New York (which would not pass directly through Kentucky but would serve Indianapolis and Cincinnati).
“The development and implementation of any preferred long-distance routes identified by the study will require significant additional time, resources, and analysis to further identify and refine infrastructure improvements, equipment needs and other capital projects, as well as costs, funding sources, and other key items needed for implementation,” KYTC reported. “Currently, there is no financial support to further advance the preferred route options to be identified by the FRA’s Amtrak Long-Distance Service Study.”
Proposed Freight Rail Improvements, Investments
According to KYTC, the following freight rail projects are proposed for Kentucky:
- “CSX anticipates pursuing railroad crossing elimination opportunities in partnership with local roadway authorities (including cities, counties, and KYTC) through the FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Program (RCE), as well as other federal discretionary grant programs where projects meet eligibility requirements.”
- “In 2024, Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC) submitted an application for FY 2023-2024 CRISI program funding to complete rehabilitation of an existing movable bridge in Louisville, Ky.”
- “In 2024, R.J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines (RJCC) submitted an application for FY 2023-2024 CRISI program funding to support a proposed $46 million project. The project will facilitate industrial rail facility improvements at Logan Aluminum, one of RJCC’s principal customers. This includes a 1,200-ft main line extension, 1,000-ft ingot rail spur into Logan Aluminum’s facility, and main line track rehabilitation (ties, surfacing and switch replacement). The project will also construct an 800-foot siding extension, a new 1,000-foot siding, and main line track rehabilitation (ties and surfacing) in Russellville. Finally, the project will perform rehabilitation of five rail bridges and main line track along the RJCC Bardstown Line.”
- “Transkentucky Transportation (TTIS) has identified an ongoing need to complete a full rehabilitation of its main line between Paris and Maysville, Ky. TTIS operations are currently confined to the area immediately in and around Paris, where TTIS interchanges with CSX. Restoring service over the line would enable greater economic development opportunities in northeast Kentucky and potentially allow the line to host overhead CSX freight traffic.”
Additionally, KYTC said there are potential industry-driven projects. They are:
- “One shipper that participated in stakeholder outreach activities for the Kentucky Statewide Rail Plan update suggested that a study be performed to examine the feasibility of expanding rail intermodal service in the Louisville-Nashville corridor. The shipper noted the barriers and challenges that businesses in central Kentucky face in utilizing rail intermodal services, driven by the lack of local container availability. The establishment of a domestic rail intermodal terminal in central Kentucky would solve the local container supply challenges and provide easier access to containerized rail shipping.”
- “One Carrollton-based shipper that participated in stakeholder outreach activities for the Kentucky Statewide Rail Plan update suggested that the multiple shippers served by the CSX Carrollton Railroad subsidiary would benefit from expansion of the Worthville rail yard, where inbound railcars are staged for placement at shipper facilities and outbound railcars are gathered for interchange to the CSX network. This project would help reduce yard congestion and shipment delays.”
