By the numbers: Prosecco, Tito's Vodka are top moneymakers onboard Amtrak Mardi Gras service
In the nine months since Amtrak launched its Mardi Gras Service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, more than 115,000 people have ridden the new train, generating nearly $4 million in ticket sales and blowing past projections.
But some of the most surprising numbers related to the service have come from the cafe car, which has also has exceeded expectations. Passengers on the twice-daily route have spent more than $586,000 on food and beverages since the service began in August 2025, according to data from Amtrak.
Amtrak Mardi Gras line exceeds expectations nearly a year after launch
The Amtrak Mardi Gras line is drawing riders from across the Gulf South nearly a year after its launch, with ridership far exceeding expectations.
The train rolls into the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal three hours after leaving Mobile, Alabama.
Rachel Elvis said the ride from Mobile through the beaches of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and into New Orleans was smooth.
Gulf Coast rail revival exceeds forecasts, tops 100,000 riders
The Joint Legislative Transportation Committee received an update Wednesday on the return of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, as state and Amtrak officials highlighted strong ridership and economic impact less than a year after launch.
Stephen McNair, director of policy and legislative affairs for the City of Mobile, told lawmakers the restored service marks the first time passenger trains have operated between Mobile and New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina disrupted service in 2005.
Amtrak's Gulf Coast ridership totals hit major milestone, soar past projections: ‘It’s incredible’
More than 100,000 riders have boarded Amtrak’s Mardi Gras service line since the route began last summer, a milestone that rail leaders said exceeded passenger projections.
“It’s so exciting,” Kay Kell, a Mississippi commissioner at the Southern Rail Commission, said Tuesday. “It’s incredible.”
Amtrak’s Mardi Gras line exceeds expectations, nearing 100,000 passengers since August
Amtrak is soon to welcome its 100,000th passenger on the Mardi Gras Service line, surpassing initial expectations set when the Gulf Coast light rail service first launched last August.
Tourism leaders had projected the line would move 75,000 people across the Gulf Coast in a year. Eight months into service, the line already has exceeded that goal.
“It’s blown every expectation out of the water,” said Alice Glenn, executive vice president of New Orleans and Company.
Amtrak Mardi Gras Service Reaches a Ridership Milestone
Events are planned on Tuesday, April 21, to celebrate the strong ridership across Coastal Mississippi on Amtrak Mardi Gras Service trains between New Orleans and Mobile. Customers will be greeted by local, regional and Amtrak officials on the morning trains from both Mobile and New Orleans.
All passengers on both the morning and afternoon trains will receive keepsakes – one of them edible – and be offered complimentary bottled water and locally-sourced coffee.
An Unbreakable Coast: Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service Connects Mobile and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
At 6:29 A.M., the horn sounds across the Port of Mobile. The train moves westward, past cranes and warehouses. Within minutes, the view shifts from skyline to marsh. Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service once again links Mobile to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans after a two-decade break.
Amtrak line proposed for Shreveport-Bossier area
The Southern Rail Commission is working to bring Amtrak passenger rail service to the Shreveport-Bossier area in the coming years.
Knox Ross with the Southern Rail Commission said they are in the preliminary stages of getting an Amtrak train to come through the area.
Shreveport moves forward with two Amtrak locations, one a historic station site
SporTran CEO Dinero Washington says the dominoes are still falling on getting Amtrak through Shreveport-Bossier in a process that he acknowledges is neither quick nor easy.
“What I will tell you is that at this point in time, the city of Shreveport is confident enough that we are moving forward with an agreement,” he told The Shreveport Bossier City Advocate.