Take the last train to Clarksville

[CHamilton]

Clarksville to Nashville passenger rail service to be studied

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) in Nashville, Tenn., has selected Parsons Brinkerhoff, Inc., to conduct a study of cost-effective transit improvements to serve the Northwest area of Middle Tennessee, which will bring the state one step closer to having passenger rail service between Clarksville and Nashville....
Grant money and a local match by the RTA totaling $1.2 million has already been secured. This project will build upon the findings and recommendations from the 2008 Initial Feasibility Study and will explore all alternatives to improve the commute between Clarksville and Nashville.

 

[MattW]

Does anyone what route this would take? There's not an active line from Clarksville to Nashville right now.

 

[Eric S]

What's the status of the former line between Clarksville and Nashville? Abandoned and right-of-way largely lost? Abandoned with right-of-way railbanked and possibly restorable? Something else?

 

[Anderson]

There's an intact line that goes NW from Nashville to Guthrie, KY, where the train could then turn SW to Clarksville. It's slightly indirect (Guthrie is a bit under 15 miles from downtown Clarksville), but not too bad in many respects. I can't find any other tracks going the right way on the map, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a redundant set at one time.

 

[Eric S]

There was a line that ran directly between Nashville and Clarksville. I'm not really sure other than I think it was ICG at one point.

 

[George Harris]

The Nashville to Clarksville route under study is that of the former Tennessee Central. Yes, it was taken over by ICG, and later abandoned in the ICG's attempt to divest itself of a much track as possible. Nashville to near Ashland City is still in place and in use and owned by Cheatham County. Between Ashland City and Clarksdale it appears to be abandoned. One major issue may be the condition bridge over the Cumberland River and will be a connection to downtown Nashville, as the current orientation of the line in Nashville turns away from downtown. Unfortunately as a commuter line there is virtually nothing in the way of significant population along this route between Nashville and Clarksville.

The line via Guthrie KY is CSX, formerly L&N. The line out of Nashville to Guthrie is the CSX main line to Chicago and is quite busy. From gguthrie to Clarksville is the former Memphis line which no longer goes through, and probably is nothing more than a local service branch line. Due to the high traffic volume on the main line part, the chance of this being turned into a commuter route is somewhere between very slim and absolutely none.

There is a previous study, done in 2008: http://www.nashvillempo.org/docs/NW_corridor.pdf