Tallahassee City Commissioners say they support an ongoing effort to return Amtrak to the area. They recently unanimously voted yes on a resolution to restore the passenger rail service. The route would be between New Orleans and Orlando.
Former City Mayor John Marks is a member of the Gulf Coast Rail Working Group, which has been working to get Amtrak reestablished along the Gulf Coast. But, he told the commissioners that despite their backing, Congress has still not budgeted any funds.
“So, we’re in the process of determining what that appropriation should be, how much it should be,” said Marks, at the time. “We can’t go back to Congress until we do the studies. We do the studies on the railroads, the tracks, the station, and all of those things. And, that’s what we’re in the process of doing at this point in time, the Gulf Coast Working Group.”
Tallahassee’s rail station completed an inspection in late April. Marks says while there’s still some things that need to be done, it’s in really good shape. And, he adds it helps that the station is located in an ideal spot, near college campuses, the Civic Center, and Gaines Street.
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