June 6, 2026 - TRA Newswire -

It's slow but steady progress as the Southern Rail Commission continues its work to advance a Federal Corridor Identification and Development plan that would link Dallas/Fort Worth eastward along the I-20 pathway to Atlanta and beyond. With the success story of the Mardi Gras Gulf Coast passenger rail service now history, the commission is concentrating on establishing new rail routes. 

The Southern Rail Commission (SRC), is actively planning an extension of the Amtrak Crescent route, which would create a direct "one-seat ride" connecting East Texas, Northern Louisiana, and the East Coast. The Crescent operates between New Orleans and New York daily. The proposed "western leg" would allow train cars to be attached and detached to the Crescent at Meridian, Mississippi. The agency already has approval from Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), the freight railroad partner, to run one Amtrak round-trip a day to Dallas/Fort Worth, pending needed infrastructure upgrades.

At the Southern Rail Commission's (SRC) quarterly meeting in New Orleans on Friday, members were shown two potential route options. 

Route option 1 would utilize a CPKC line to Shreveport, Louisiana and then a Union Pacific line to Marshall, Longview and Dallas. 

Route 2 would follow an existing CPKC line from Meridian, Mississippi, all the way to Dallas. It would be routed through the East Texas cities of Jefferson, Pittsburg, Sulphur Springs and Greenville. 

The Commission received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to work on their Corridor Identification and Development Plan (CIDP) and continue to work on the multi-step process required to move from a service development plan to actual construction and operation.

The SRC is transitioning from the first step of readiness activities to now developing a Core Service Development Plan (SDP) that will be required for FRA approval. The Core SPD focuses on refining the service concepts, route alternatives, and identifying initial environmental, operations and capacity considerations. 

The state of Texas, not a member of the Southern Rail Commission, has not actively engaged in the process to date. 

To that end, Texas Rail Advocates, in a letter to TxDOT Executives and Texas Transportation Commissioners last week, asked for officials to show support for the passenger rail extension. The letter also asked TxDOT officials to indicate to the Texas legislature that the state should be a participant in the Southern Rail Commission. 

SRC meeting attendees in New Orleans were also informed on progress of establishing service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge along the I-10 corridor. 

Graphic credit: SRC screenshot