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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service Proves Skeptics Wrong With On-Time Performance And Passenger Reviews

It took 11 days of hearings before the STB (Surface Transportation Board) in 2022 for Amtrak, CSX (U.S. freight railroad operator), and Norfolk Southern (NS) to reach an agreement. Amtrak's long-stalled effort to restart its passenger service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, was finally bearing fruit. In August 2025, Amtrak finally launched its newest route, the Mardi Gras Service.

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Amtrak Mardi Gras Service proves critics wrong: Analysis

You’ve no doubt heard the saying that making predictions is hard, particularly about the future. So it was with Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service, which is off to such a flying start that it has proven that naysayers — myself included — were flat out wrong.

The Mardi Gras Service is the culmination of a long fight to bring passenger trains back to the Gulf Coast after the Sunset Limited service east of New Orleans was suspended in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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Gulf Coast rail service is back and exceeding expectations

When Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service hit the rails in August 2025, restoring passenger rail service along the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, everyone was excited, but no one knew what to expect. Now, seven months later, people are pleasantly surprised.

“It’s exceeded all expectations,” said Amtrak Senior Public Relations Manager Marc Magliari.

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