A new survey shows strong support for passenger rail service in Kentucky. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s “Your Turn” survey sought input on transportation from over 16,000 respondents in every county across the state.
Development of a passenger rail service ranked as the second-highest public transportation issue, narrowly behind better bus service.
David Coyte is the president for the Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation Kentucky. He said even though Kentucky hasn’t had passenger rail since AMTRAK in the 1970s, support for rail-based transit is stronger than ever.
“There still seems to be a lot of interest generated, some from people’s past experiences, but mostly from seeing what’s happening in other cities and hopefully from some sort of understanding about the economics and efficiency of rail, that really have caught people’s attention," said Coyte.
Coyte adds that highway lobbying interests and the high upfront cost of rail infrastructure are the two biggest obstacles to making rail a reality in Kentucky.
