Raise your hand if you love sitting in traffic on Nicholasville Road? We are willing to bet that no hands were raised.
Now, raise your hand if you would like to kick back + relax while riding a commuter rail from Lexington to Georgetown, Danville, or dare we dream to say, Cincinnati or Louisville? We bet there were quite a few hands raised this time.
Allow us to introduce you to Spencer Stelzer-Weise , a Lexingtonian who is hoping to make that concept a reality by sharing his research, maps, and proposed plans for a commuter rail system in Central Kentucky.
Spencer graduated from EKU with a degree in Geography, and currently works as a Geospatial Technician creating 3D maps.
Spencer presented his idea to a group of supportive community members + City Councilmember David Sevigny last month. | Photo courtesy of Spencer Stelzer-Weise
Mapping it out
Spencer created the Bluegrass Passenger Rail Facebook Group at the end of July — it is currently 1,300+ members strong and counting.
He noted that our city’s history of having an electronic trolley system in the 1930s proves it’s a viable option still today. “We have the population for it,” Spencer said in a phone interview.
His proposal would see commuter trains added to the freight lines already used by Norfolk Southern — connecting from the Toyota Plant in Georgetown to Danville. Proposed stops in Lexington would include:
- The Horse Park
- New Circle North
- Near UK’s campus (aka The Train across Waller Ave.)
- Fayette Mall
He shared this detailed proposal to a group of interested community members in July where he outlined short- and long-term goals, costs, and more.
He said that while density is a valid concern, he does think it could help bring life to other parts of the state. “I’m especially be excited to see what this could do for the smaller towns; I’d love to see more people reviving those areas.”
We should note that nothing formal has been shared with the city, but Councilmember David Sevigny was on hand at Spencer’s meeting to share thoughts on next steps.