Amtrak Routes in New Orleans

[nolatron]

With people wondering how trains are going to be affected by flooding near New Orleans, I put together a map showing the routes of each train and the areas that could flood from spillways being opened.

Hope it helps.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=214628598371696890979.0004a3528c85512393eb3&ll=30.204487,-90.758057&spn=1.803958,2.384033&z=9

 

[dlagrua]

Thanks for taking the time to share your analysis with us.

It looks like the Army Corps of engineers MAY have the situation under control at a great sacrifice to rural Louisianans.

Opening the Morganza spillway up river is bound to alleviate much of the flood surge on the Mississippi river. The only concern might be the Bonnet Carre spillway that is emptying into Lake Ponchartrain. Do you know what rise in water levels of Lake Ponchartrain are being predicted by the Army C.O.E. and how much of a level rise might affect the Crescent? They say that the waters should reach New Orleans by Tuesday 5/17.Lets cross our fingers and hope that all will be OK.

 

[nolatron]

They aren't expecting the Lake to rise at all, so the crescent and CONO won't be affected here.

The Bonnet Carre spillway pushes about 300,000cfs of water into the lake at full capacity, which then empties to the Gulf.

 

[mfastx]

I will (hopefully) be riding the Sunset Limited into New Orleans on June 10, hopefully this won't affect my travel plans.

 

[Fan_Trains]

My Stepfather and I will be riding the CONO to Chicago on Aug,27th. hopfully everything will be okay.

 

[dlagrua]

We will be on the Crescent June 7th and arriving in NOL on June 8th. I hope that everything will be OK not only for us but for the good people in that area.

 

[cirdan]

They aren't expecting the Lake to rise at all, so the crescent and CONO won't be affected here.

Isn't the lake somehow connected to the sea anyway, so it can't really rise?

What happened when Katharina struck was that the hurricane was pushing water back into the lake and so forcing it to rise. Uner normal conditions that doesn't happen.

 

[dlagrua]

They aren't expecting the Lake to rise at all, so the crescent and CONO won't be affected here.

Isn't the lake somehow connected to the sea anyway, so it can't really rise?

What happened when Katharina struck was that the hurricane was pushing water back into the lake and so forcing it to rise. Uner normal conditions that doesn't happen.

Thats a very good point. The people of Baton Rouge and New Orleans will probably be safe along with the Crescent and CONO routes as they enter Louisiana. The CONO will probably still be cut off north of there around Memphis but the SL will most likely be out for a while. The people that will bear the brunt of this will be the residents of the rural Louisiana back country and we can only pray for their safety and protection.