NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two Nashville lawmakers have introduced a bill in the state legislature asking for a study of possible Amtrak service connecting Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis.
The Nashville Tennessean reports state Rep. Jason Powell and state Sen. Heidi Campbell, both Democrats, are sponsoring the legislation which would direct the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to study the cost and feasibility of the state operation.
Similar legislation introduced in 2020 passed the Senate but was unaddressed in the House when its session was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amtrak has included Nashville-Chattanooga service in its “Connects US” wish list as part of a route that would extend to Atlanta and Savannah, Ga. [See “Amtrak unveils ‘Connects US’ …,” Trains News Wire, March 31, 2021.] An east-west line connecting Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville is not part of that plan.
Nashville, the third largest city in the U.S. without Amtrak service, was last served by the Chicago-St.Petersburg/Miami Floridian, discontinued in 1979. Tennessee’s only current Amtrak service is by the City of New Orleans, through Memphis along the state’s western edge.
Powell has also announced formation of a Train Travel Caucus to advocate for the study and for creation of a state agency to oversee rail and public transportation.
The House version of the legislation is HB2278; the Senate version is SB2602.
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