As an interesting note: the ex-L&N line west from the junction between the line from Nashville and the line southwest from Bowling Green is a relatively pathetic single-track thing with comparatively many curves and a convoluted last-mile access into Memphis Central Station (it would have to go out of Leewood onto the Aulon connection, and either go north to where it could connect to the old riverfront line the City of New Orleans uses, or south via East and West junction to turn north into the station, across all the tracks serving the Mississippi bridges.
What I notice CSX doing with its freights on this line is combining them into very, very long monster trains with multiple in-train DPU units. I have not yet seen how one of these is yarded through Leewood, and I have not seen one make it 'all the way through' Aulon on the way to Johnston Yard, but there can be waits upward of 20 minutes while one crawls across the grade crossings between the I-240/40 overpass and the east end of Leewood.
Presumably some combination of longer combined consists might free up enough 'precision scheduled' track capacity to run passenger trains through. But that says nothing about Nashville-Chattanooga, or (I find I can't help snickering) Chattanooga-Atlanta.
Any ridership on fitching, halting trains twisting their way between freights is not going to be representative of what would patronize a proper passenger corridor -- which all the studies I've seen so far say would need to be largely new-build with somewhat heroic engineering works -- not that I think that demand would pay back even a fraction of the cost to provide the service, let alone maintain it.
I so, so hope I'm mistaken...
My experience when those lines were part of my territory - those lines don't have the track capacity for passenger service in addition to what they are currently hauling.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Chattanooga takes lead in plans to restore passenger rail to Atlanta, Nashvile and Memphis. Mostly it would use CSX lines.
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2024/5/2/486747/Chattanooga-Taking-The-Lead-In.aspx
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