Amtrak Mardi Gras ServiceSM

Amtrak Mardi Gras ServiceSM is a new twice-daily train service that will originate in New Orleans and Mobile, with stops in Bay Saint Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Named after the region's vibrant Mardi Gras celebrations, the service aims to boost local economies, enhance tourism, and reconnect communities.

Details

Book travel and find more information on Amtrak Mardi Gras Service at amtrak.com/mardigras.

Service amenities include free Wi-Fi, no middle seats, and cafe service with locally sourced menu items. Amtrak offers various discounts for children, students, seniors, and large groups. Additionally, pets weighing up to 20 pounds are welcome on board.

The service provides same-day connections in both directions to Amtrak’s City of New Orleans© trains, which run between New Orleans and Chicago via Memphis, as well as next-day connections in New Orleans to the Amtrak Crescent© trains (traveling to and from New York via Atlanta) and the Amtrak Sunset Limited© trains (traveling to and from Los Angeles via Tucson, San Antonio, and Houston).

Promotional Resources

The Southern Rail Commission, in coordination with Amtrak, has developed a marketing toolkit to assist stakeholders along the route in effectively promoting the new rail service to their audiences.

For destination-specific information, visit our tourism partner websites through the links below.

Background

The Southern Rail Commission, in coordination with Amtrak, has developed a marketing toolkit to assist stakeholders along the route in effectively promoting the new rail service to their audiences.

For destination-specific information, visit our tourism partner websites through the links below.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated critical rail infrastructure along the Gulf Coast, halting passenger rail service in the region. With the area's growth, there has been strong support for restoring train service, which will benefit local businesses, tourism, and residents by strengthening infrastructure and the economy.

For nearly two decades, the Southern Rail Commission has worked tirelessly with local, state and federal partners to re-establish reliable and accessible passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast.

The project garnered bipartisan backing from local, state and federal leaders and has received significant federal grant support, including funding from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI), Interstate Rail Compact (IRC), and Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Programs for station upgrades, capital improvements, and operating expenses. Federal funds were matched by state and local funding from Louisiana, Mississippi, and the City of Mobile. Amtrak will operate the service in coordination with freight railroad operators, CSX, and Norfolk Southern.

Additional History and Impact

The following sections provide additional details on the service's history and economic impact.

  • In 2015, Congress established the Gulf Coast Working Group to conduct a study on restoring service, which culminated in a report supporting a route between New Orleans and Mobile. Since 2016, the Southern Rail Commission has secured significant federal funding to support the restoration of service.

    $1 MILLION

    SRC Station Planning Grants (2016)

    Awarded to the cities of Anniston, Birmingham, Mobile, Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport, Bay Saint Louis, Baton Rouge, and Gonzales, as well as St. John Parish

    $1.3 MILLION

    SRC Station Construction Grants (September 2021)

    Awarded to the cities of Gulfport, Bay Saint Louis, Pascagoula, and Birmingham

    $33 MILLION

    Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) (June 2019)

    Awarded to the cities of Gulfport, Bay Saint Louis, Pascagoula, and Birmingham

    $5.45 MILLION

    Restoration and Enhancement Program (R&E) (May 2019)

    Funds provided to Amtrak for operating expenses for the years 1-3 of service

    $178,435,333

    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (September 2023) Appropriated by Sen. Wicker of Mississippi to restore Gulf Coast rail service

    $400,000

    FRA Interstate Rail Compact Grant (March 2024)

    Supports administrative capacity, operations, and initiatives to expand passenger rail operations across the South

    $500,000

    FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program (December 2023)

    To prepare a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for preparing a service development plan

    These federal funds have been further bolstered by matching commitments from Louisiana, Mississippi, and the City of Mobile.

    In December 2022, a settlement agreement facilitated by the Surface Transportation Board cleared the way for passenger service along the Mobile to New Orleans corridor. In 2023, the FRA awarded $178 million in funding to Amtrak for the project, and in 2024, Mobile’s city council approved the final agreements for the station platform.

    Amtrak is now in the final stages of ticket pricing, safety training, and other operational preparations.

  • Description text goeA study by the Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development found that the expansion of passenger rail service would generate $282.58 million annually for Mississippi and create 45 high-wage train operating jobs in Louisiana. Tourism impacts could be even more significant, with a modest 5% increase in visitors in Harrison County potentially generating $92 million in additional spending.

    A Jacksonville State University study estimates that expanding rail service in Alabama would create up to 10,800 construction jobs, generate between $6.3 million and $21.6 million in railway operations, and boost tourism spending by up to $389.2 million, supporting thousands of jobs.

    This expansion would connect growing population centers, support diverse industries, provide a critical evacuation route, attract sales tax revenue from tourists and casino patrons, and offer safe and affordable transportation options.s here

    • In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed critical rail infrastructure along the Gulf Coast, leading to the suspension of passenger rail service throughout the region. In 2016, the SRC announced the allocations for more than $2 million in funding through the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to communities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana that are underway with planning, upgrading, and constructing their rail stations.

    • Congress created the Gulf Coast Working Group (GCWG) in the 2015 federal transportation reauthorization (FAST Act) to perform an exhaustive study on restoring the service, which was administered by the FRA.

    • The GCWG Report was completed in July 2017, and, in it, the GCWG identified the preferred option as restoring service between New Orleans, LA, and Orlando, FL, via long-distance train for one daily round trip and New Orleans, LA, and Mobile, AL, via state-supported train for one daily round trip.

    • In May 2019, SRC was awarded a $5.45 million federal grant through the Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grants Program that can fund operating expenses for the first and second years of service along the restored rail line.

    • Following that grant, in June 2019, SRC was awarded a $33 million federal grant through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program to complete major infrastructure and capital improvements necessary for service restoration. These federal grants also leverage matching commitments from the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and the City of Mobile.

    • In addition, in August 2019, SRC was awarded a $4.36 million federal grant through the Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grants Program from FRA to SRC. This federal grant will fund operating expenses for the first year of service along the new rail line and leverages commitments of approximately $1.4 million from the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and the City of Mobile.

    • The Gulf Coast Passenger Rail project is supported as a bipartisan effort of Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi, former Gov. John Bel Edwards, Alabama SRC commissioners, Sen. Wicker, Sen. Cochran, Sen. Shelby, Sen. Hyde-Smith, local legislative leaders in Mississippi and Louisiana, and Rep. Steven Palazzo.

    • In April 2021, Amtrak filed a petition asking the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to deny CSX’s and Norfolk Southern’s motion to dismiss Amtrak’s application to restore passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Mobile.

    • In December 2022, the Surface Transportation Board announced a settlement agreement between Amtrak and the freight railroads which will enable the start of passenger service along the Mobile to New Orleans corridor.

    • On Sept. 21, 2023, Sen. Wicker announced the award of $178,435,333 to Amtrak from the FRA’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program to provide crucial funding to restore passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast.

    • In March 2024, the FRA awarded the Southern Rail Commission $400,000 from the Interstate Rail Compacts (IRC) program to support administrative capacity, operations, and initiatives to promote passenger rail operations across the South.

    • On Aug. 6, 2024, the Mobile City Council unanimously voted to approve the funding and land use agreements with Amtrak that allowed the construction of the train platform and planning for the launch of service to finally move forward.

    • On Oct. 21, 2024, SRC, Amtrak, and other partners, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Mobile platform with Secretary Pete Buttigieg of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    • In Dec. 2024, Amtrak and the City of Mobile fully executed operating agreements for funding matches and the station lease. The service agreements between Amtrak and the states of Mississippi and Louisiana received final approval in Spring 2025.

    • In April 2025, Amtrak announced the name of the new service.