LIVE OAK, Fla. — There are two steps between Live Oak becoming an Amtrak stop. The first step is opening the rail line for passenger use. After that, Amtrak simply has to choose Live Oak.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) held a teleconference with the Gulf Coast Working Group (GCWG) on Wednesday, March 15, to discuss the final report to Congress on the feasibility and cost for a rail line between New Orleans and Orlando.

The GCWG is a federally chartered working group created by the FAST Act, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015, actively determining how to restore passenger rail service across America’s southern coast.

The final report is due to be submitted to the Commerce Committee by late March or early April and will not include an extension, according to minutes from the meeting.

Conducted by the FRA and CSX, the company that manages the rail line, the final report will include cost estimates, a list of infrastructure needs and developing next steps for resolving outstanding issues, the minutes state.

Once the report is submitted, it will be up to Congress to decide whether the rail line is reestablished and feasible for passenger travel.

This is the first step for Live Oak to possibly become a stop along Amtrak’s rail, according to Alvin Jackson, Suwannee County economic director and a member of the GCWG. If the line is reestablished, he said, then Amtrak will decide where stops will go along the route.

Jackson said that U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, D-Florida, will be making another stop to Live Oak on April 11 to show his support for the stop. Nelson has visited Live Oak previously to discuss the issue.