Amtrak has reported its Fiscal Year 2025 results, highlighting continued growth in ridership, revenue and network development across the United States.
The company recorded its highest number of annual passenger journeys and operating revenue to date, reflecting sustained interest in rail travel and progress in modernising services.
With a name like "Amtrak Mardi Gras Service," you can assume this new passenger line is a good time, or at least the way to get to one. Amtrak started the service on August 18, 2025 as a way to connect New Orleans — the nerve center of Mardi Gras celebrations — to less-famous cities along the Gulf Coast. At first glance, this new route is like any other Amtrak ride: You board a train in Mobile, Alabama, and make your way to the Crescent City, or vice versa. You probably won't knock back "hurricane" cocktails while onboard, and you won't have to do anything scandalous to earn beaded necklaces. You can enjoy cafe service and free WiFi, the same you'd find on most Amtrak trains.
When Amtrak's Mardi Gras service launched this summer, every seat was booked. Nearly three months later, the demand shows no signs of slowing down, with tourists and commuters alike opting to travel the Gulf Coast by train instead of car.
The Amtrak Mardi Gras Train Service is revolutionizing travel along the Gulf Coast by providing a reliable and convenient rail option between Mobile and New Orleans. Since its launch in August 2025, the service has attracted thousands of passengers, offering an affordable alternative to driving that helps reduce congestion on the busy I-10 corridor. At the same time, it injects visitors directly into downtown areas of coastal cities, supporting hotels, restaurants, and small businesses, and creating a measurable boost for local economies.
Amtrak’s new Mardi Gras Service between New Orleans and Mobile is off to a strong start, with trains selling out for major events and prompting the addition of more seats to meet rising demand.
Since launching in August, the route has carried nearly 19,000 passengers through September, averaging more than 105 customers per train, according to Amtrak. To accommodate growing ridership, the company recently added an extra train car, increasing capacity by 60 seats on trips to New Orleans during Saints home game weekends.
As the diesel engine rumbles, I sink into my seat and sip my hot milky coffee. It’s dark outside the window, the sun just starting to rise between glassy buildings. Inside the carriage, there’s a feeling of excitement as passengers bundle aboard, flinging bags onto racks and settling in.
Minutes later, the horn sounds and the shiny red and blue train slides out of the station along new tracks. Everyone in the carriage lets out a cheer.
The last time Amtrak ran a passenger train between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., it was a one-off demonstration train in 2016, carrying rail advocates, congresspeople, and local officials hoping to build momentum for restoring a service that had ended with Hurricane Katrina.
Imagine sipping your morning coffee as your train glides past Gulf waters, Spanish moss swaying in the breeze outside your window. No traffic jams, no parking hassles, no white-knuckling the steering wheel through New Orleans' ancient streets. Nope, not a daydream — it's the reality aboard Amtrak's brand-new Mardi Gras Service, and it's about to change how you experience the Deep South. (Or, you know, how you attend a Saints game.)
For weeks, passengers on Amtrak's new Mardi Gras line have asked officials when the train would add more seats for Saints fans traveling to New Orleans for home games. Starting this month, they'll get them.
Amtrak is adding a third car to the train that runs between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, creating 60 more seats, according to Kay Kell, the Mississippi commissioner of the Southern Rail Commission.
Due to high demand, Amtrak Mardi Gras Service has added an additional train car to offer additional seating on trips to New Orleans for upcoming Saints home football games.
Upcoming Saints Home Football Games:
Sunday, Sept. 14
Sunday, Oct. 5
Sunday, Oct. 12
Sunday, Oct. 26
Sunday, Nov. 23
Sunday, Dec. 14
Sunday, Dec. 21
Tickets are sure to sell quickly — make sure to secure your ride in advance by booking your ticket today!