LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — There's growing support for adding a commuter rail line in Central Kentucky, potentially alleviating traffic in and around Lexington.
There are trains that cross Lexington every day, but they only carry freight.
A new proposal would change that, adding a commuter rail line extending from Georgetown to Danville using existing rail lines.
It comes from Spencer Stelzer-Weise, a Central Kentuckian who's been "obsessed" with maps since childhood.
However, no map he's created has drawn as much attention as the one he included in a recent presentation at Lexington's Central Library about the potential for commuter rail in Central Kentucky.
He posted his presentation slides in a Facebook group he created, "Bluegrass Passenger Rail," which has grown by more than 1,000 members weekly.
The group has been the home for discussion about the idea. Others who have in the past come up with their commuter rail proposals have posted them in the group.
In the long term, Weise wants both light and commuter rail in Lexington. In a short time, he envisions the rail line starting with a shorter distance, running from UK's campus near downtown to Nicholasville. It's a feasible idea, he said.
Because there is no immediate potential for a downtown station, he said people could take a bus from the UK station to downtown.
He's unsure who would lead the project but said it could be a state agency, a city one, or a private group like RJ Corman.
David Stephanski, the owner of Berkshire Trains and Vintage Toys, said that he'd like to see commuter rail in Lexington, but he's skeptical if it can happen.
He said the idea faces several obstacles, the first one being the closest parallel track to Nicholasville Road, which at one point runs next to Fayette Mall, is used by Norfolk Southern, not RJ Corman.
"This is a major corridor for Norfolk Southern's north-to-south network," Stephanski said, explaining that it's a busy line for them and they'd have to sign off on a commuter line using the track.
Stephanski believes it would be a much more expensive project than people think it could be. Part of that is because if the line Norfolk Southern utilizes is used, they couldn't simply use the track, which is there because south of Fayette Mall, the track goes from two tracks to one, which could force delays for the passenger trains.
Stephanski says he's spoken with council members about the project, saying they are on board and looking at potential next steps.
A link to his full proposal can be found here: Lexington Rail - Google Slides
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