Description:

Major cities: Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Meridian, Birmingham

Segment	Mileage	Top Speed (goal)	Travel Time (goal)
Houston to New Orleans	362	110 mph	n/a hr
Mobile to New Orleans	139	110 mph	n/a hr
New Orleans to Atlanta	521	110 mph	n/a hr

Accomplishments and Status:

On November 18, 1998, acting under Section 1103(c) of TEA-21, the Secretary of Transportation formally designated the Gulf Coast High-Speed Rail Corridor linking New Orleans, Louisiana with Houston, Texas; Mobile, Alabama; Meridian, Mississippi; and Birmingham, Alabama.  The States are aiming to upgrade existing rail lines to 110 mph service and are preparing a strategic plan. In fiscal year 2002, $2 million was earmarked for grade crossing hazard elimination for the Gulf Coast Corridor.

The Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Highway Administration jointly manage the Section 1103(c) grade crossing hazard elimination program in designated high-speed corridors. $8,680,925 has been invested in reducing grade crossing hazards in the Gulf Coast Corridor since the program's beginning in 1993. Details on the grade crossing inventory in this corridor can be found HERE .

Outlook:

Planning and grade crossing activities in the 1,022 mile corridor will predominate in the immediate future as the Gulf Coast Corridor fulfills the prerequisites for proposed future investments. In FY 2004, the Gulf Coast Corridor received a $1,500,000 earmark to provide additional Corridor infrastructure upgrades.  The Southern Rapid Rail Transportation Commission (consisting of representatives from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas) has taken the lead in planning efforts.

Gulf Coast Corridor Contacts
Organization	Personal Contact	Topics
Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission   c/o Regional Planning Commission 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 2100  New Orleans, LA  701112	Karen Parsons Transportation Planner Tel: 504-568-6620 Fax: 504-568-6643 kparsons@norpc.org	Amtrak; high-speed rail.
Louisiana DOTD 1201 Capitol Access Road - Room 211 P.O Box 94245 - Section 81 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9245	Tom Atkinson Deputy Assistant Secretary Tel: 225-274-4134 Fax: 225-274-4219 tomatkinson@dotd.state.la.us	Amtrak; high-speed rail; freight; grade crossings.
Mississippi DOT P.O. Box 1850 Jackson, MS 39215-1850	Steven Edwards Rails Engineer Tel: 601-359-7910 Fax: 601-359-7855 sedwards@mdot.state.ms.us	Amtrak; high-speed rail; freight; grade crossings.
Alabama DOT 1100 John Overton Drive Montgomery, AL 36110	Craig Thomas Civil Engineer Manager Tel: 334-353-6449 Fax: 334-353-6451 thomascg@dot.state.al.us	Amtrak; high-speed rail; freight; grade crossings.

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) contacts for the Gulf Coast HSR Corridor