KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Tennessee state officials say the federal government is looking at Tennessee's proposal to build passenger rail systems across the state. The state is proposing three separate rail lines.
If approved, the state would build one from Nashville to Chattanooga, and one from Bristol to Knoxville and Chattanooga.
The third one would connect Memphis to Carbondale, Illinois and Nashville to Louisville, Kentucky.
Tennessee is expected to get a response back from the federal government by the end of the year.
For the state to upgrade existing tracks, it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. But, adding new tracks would cost billions of dollars. This would require participation from several stakeholders like Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration and bordering states.
