LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Amtrak is no stranger to Louisville.
Fifty years ago, the city's first Amtrak train traveled through Louisville.
The on-again, off-again relationship could be back on if the infrastructure bill gets a thumbs up in the house.
"Anyone who has driven on I-65 or I-64 anywhere around the middle part of the country knows, there's gotta be a different choice besides having someone next to you yacking on the phone, someone in front of you putting on makeup or shaving, and trucks, big trucks, all over the place," Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said.
Amtrak first started in Louisville in 1971, 'The Floridian' traveled from Chicago to Miami through Louisville. The ridership was low, performance was poor and track conditions were not good. It was a short eight years before everyone waved goodbye.
Then in 2001, a once a day Amtrak was back... but only for two short years.
So, what would make this time different from the past?
"What we're talking about here is a whole different service than we've had in Louisville and other parts of the country," Magliari said. "Frequent service, not just once a day. More reliable service, because the train isn't starting its day in Florida, it's starting in Louisville."
This is still a proposal right now, relying heavily on the Infrastructure bill still looking for passage in the House.
The proposed line would connect Louisville to Jeffersonville then to Indianapolis, and onward to Chicago.
Amtrak would use existing freight tracks for this route.
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