BATON ROUGE - A $20 million grant has been awarded to the Baton Rouge to New Orleans railway project from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome said the money will be used for real estate acquisition, design and construction of the Baton Rouge and Gonzales train stations. Broome said the proposed railway plan also includes stations in LaPlace, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and in downtown New Orleans. 

“Connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans via passenger rail, with key stops in between, will connect communities and enhance economic opportunity for citizens of South Louisiana,” Mayor Broome said in a statement. 

Broome said $13 million will be used to plan and construct the train station in downtown Baton Rouge with necessary ADA standards. The City-Parish will be giving $3.25 million of matching funds to the project, bringing the total to $16.25 million for the station.