City Cast Nashville
🚂 Could a new passenger rail come to Nashville?
January 20, 2026 · 💌 Margaret Kingsbury
Happy Tuesday! Hope y’all had a nice long weekend (if indeed you were off). The Sunbelt-Atlantic Compact is conducting a feasibility study into connecting Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis by passenger rail. Would you ride a train connecting these cities? Let us know!
Would you ride a passenger train connecting Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis?
What's CITY Talking About
🏗️ Tesla Tunnel Updates
It’s been six months since The Boring Company announced plans to build the Music City Loop, an increasingly broad network of Tesla transportation tunnels under our city. On today’s City Cast Nashville podcast, we’re checking in with Las Vegas to catch up on how the tunnels are going over there, and get a glimpse into Nashville’s possible future. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
🚨 New Community Safety Task Force
Nashville's new 29-member Community Safety Task Force aims to make neighborhoods safer by creating environments that remove incentives to commit crime. The group will look at expanding after-school programs, investing in mental health partners, and teaching people conflict resolution skills. [NewsChannel 5]
🚰 Assessment of Lead Pipes in Nashville
Metro Water Services continues to assess lead water lines in Nashville, and recently sent 21,000 property owners letters informing them of the status of their pipes. Roughly 1,700 of those had pipes containing lead. MWS still needs to evaluate 18,500 locations where the water line status is unknown. [Nashville Banner]
🏫 50K+ School Voucher Applications
More than 50,300 people have already applied for Tennessee’s private school vouchers, far outpacing last year’s 43,000 applicants. Nearly 2,400 Nashville students received a voucher in 2025. The application period remains open until Jan. 30. [🔐 The Tennessean]
- Currently, the state offers 20,000 private school vouchers to students. Gov. Bill Lee wants to increase that number, but some rural lawmakers oppose the expansion. [Tennessee Lookout]
- Listen to our chat with Chalkbeat’s Melissa Brown about the voucher rollout and its challenges. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
What To Do
Tuesday, Jan. 20
- 🥫 Food Pantry Volunteer | Inspiritus | 8:15 & 10:15 a.m.
- ✊ Radical King Roundtable: Exploring the Radical Politics of MLK | Vanderbilt Divinity School | 1-2:15 p.m.
- 📚 Tween Book Club | Inglewood Library Branch | 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- 🍽️ Free Community Dinner | Trinity Community Commons | 4:30-6:30 p.m.
- 🎶 Music in the City with Jason Aldean | Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar | 5:30-8 p.m.
- 🌸 Quiet Bloom: Ikebana Style Class | Pont Neuf | 6 p.m.
- 🏒 Nashville Predators vs. Buffalo Sabres | Bridgestone Arena | 7 p.m.
- 🎵 Big Damn Music Jam | 3rd and Lindsley | 7 p.m.
- 😆 Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic | Springwater | 7-11:55 p.m.
- 🎭 Les Misérables starts (through Jan. 25) | TPAC | 7:30 p.m.
- 🎵 An Evening With Benmont Tench | City Winery | 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 21
- 💰 Locals Pay What You Want (through January) | Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum | 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
- 🚸 Puppet Show | Shelby Bottoms Nature Center | 10-10:30 a.m.
- 🍎 Grocery Volunteer | The Store | 1:30-6 p.m.
- 🎸 Guitar Drop-In Music Sampler | Hermitage Library Branch | 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- 😆 Fiona Cauley and Friends | The Lab at Zanies | 7 p.m.
- 🎻 Leonard Slatkin’s Hollywood | Nashville Symphony | 7:30 p.m.
- 🎭 Les Misérables (through Jan. 25) | TPAC | 7:30 p.m.
- 🎶 Gun To God’s Head | DRKMTTR Collective | 8 p.m.
For just $20, you can nab tickets to 615 Indie Live and listen to dozens of artists and bands across Nashville on Feb. 7.
Free · Daily