Tennessee passenger rail study prioritizes connections to Chicago, Atlanta and Louisville

The Tennessee Department of Transportation believes road trips between the state’s most populous cities could take up to an hour longer by 2045. To help cut that time down, the General Assembly is looking into adding passenger rail service linking major cities.    

A study has identified five potential rail routes that they believe would improve mobility and the state’s economy. Those routes would be established in Tiers:

• Tier 1 would install rail from Nashville through Chattanooga to Atlanta. 
• Tier 2 includes be two routes: Memphis to Nashville, and Chattanooga to Knoxville then Bristol.  
• Tier 3 would connect Tennessee to other states. One route would be Memphis to Carbondale, Ill., to Chicago, and another would connect Nashville to Louisville.

While it’s not certain that these will be installed, Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, is excited about the possibility.

“I think it gives us great opportunity when it comes to tourism. You know, for tourists that want to come in and see every grand division of the state without having to drive the entire length of the state of Tennessee, which is a very long state geographically,” Parkinson said. “This will give them the opportunity to do just that and to do it with ease and convenience also.”

The study came out too late for the state to apply for an $8 billion federal grant for rail expansion. Applications closed in March. 

TDOT is expected to work with AMTRAK, bordering states and lawmakers to look into if they’d like to pursue the options.