Mobile City Council clears way for Amtrak to return to Gulf Coast

The nearly 20-year absence of an Amtrak line on the Gulf Coast connecting New Orleans, Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama, is poised to end following action taken Tuesday by the Mobile City Council.

The council voted 6-0 with one council member absent to fund passenger train service for three years.

Completion of the line would mark the first time Amtrak has had service in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Funding for the line had previously been approved in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Train platforms are ready in New Orleans and at four stops in Mississippi — Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula — but a platform still needs to be built in Mobile.

Amtrak’s projected start for train service is spring 2025, Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross said.

The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

“I think everybody wants to get this running by the Super Bowl, but they can’t guarantee it,” Ross said.

Action taken by the council included a funding agreement with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation for Gulf Coast rail service, an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Alabama State Port Authority and a lease agreement for the platform with National Railroad Passenger Corporation for Gulf Coast rail service.

Next steps include securing permits and completing work on the platform that complies with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Amtrak will also lease a portion of city-owned parking lot near the Mobile Convention Center for an overlay track.

Following construction, the next step will likely be a groundbreaking celebration in Mobile, followed by media events across the Coast to introduce the service, Ross said.

The Mobile to New Orleans route is expected to run twice daily, allowing for commuting workers or tourists to take advantage of the transportation option.

When all elements have been finalized between the parties, the schedules, fares, start date and official name of the train service will come via a joint formal announcement from Amtrak and the SRC.

The schedule will be posted on the Amtrak website about 90 days before service begins. Fares will be announced at the same time as the schedule. An inaugural train will run the day before regular service begins, the SRC said.

Photo by DXR