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.
Amtrak Mardi Gras Train Service Transforms Travel Between Mobile and New Orleans While Reducing Highway Congestion and Supporting Coastal Businesses
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 expands Mardi Gras Service as ridership surges along Gulf Coast
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.
I rode a coastal train resurrected 20 years after Hurricane Katrina - it was a joy
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.
New Amtrak Service Gives Gulf Coast a Boost 20 Years After Katrina
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.
Amtrak's new Mardi Gras service is selling out — tickets start at $15
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.)
Amtrak adds another train car to Mardi Gras route ahead of Saints games in New Orleans
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.
Exciting News for Saints Fans!
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!
All Aboard the Mardi Gras Service
On the morning of August 18, Rebecca Finlay and her daughter, Grace, boarded a train in Biloxi, Mississippi, bound for New Orleans. The pair were en route to celebrate Grace’s birthday with typical New Orleans activities: a walk through the French Quarter and a visit to the Audubon Aquarium. But this wasn't an ordinary day trip. They were joining hundreds of other passengers on the inaugural journey of Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service.
The triumphant return of the US's Gulf Coast train
Two decades after Hurricane Katrina halted rail service, Amtrak's new Mardi Gras Service links Mobile and New Orleans, offering travellers coastal views and stories of resilience.
We trundled slowly south out of Mobile, skirting the city's twinkling river. Lofty high-rises and concrete highways coated in pink morning light gave way to historic shipyards, lush forests and peaceful river communities. Fishermen in boats and children in gardens waved at the train with excitement, the conductor sounding the horn in response.