Amtrak relaunched train service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, Aug. 18, a route that hasn’t seen passenger rail since Hurricane Katrina struck a large portion of the line along the Gulf Coast in 2005. The through train from Los Angeles to Florida, which ran before the storm, remains a distant memory, however.
Amtrak Mardi Gras train a win for all
The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is a big winner.
The train route between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, is a winner for Amtrak, a winner for New Orleans, a winner for Mobile, a winner for the Mississippi Coast, a winner for riders and a winner for public safety.
Lt. Gov. Nungesser celebrates Amtrak Mardi Gras Service in New Orleans
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser joined Amtrak officials and local leaders Saturday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the Mardi Gras Service, a new Gulf Coast passenger train.
The route connects New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula, Mississippi. The trip takes just under four hours.
Amtrak's Mardi Gras line ignites discussion over potential Baton Rouge, New Orleans route
It has been nearly 56 years since Baton Rouge had passenger train service, and with the opening of the Mardi Gras Line, there is already talk of expansion within Amtrak.
"The opportunity is there to try and connect the two largest cities, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, in the state. Of course, everyone knows we have LSU football games and the New Orleans Saints," State Rep. Dixon McMakin said.
Amtrak’s Mardi Gras service has left the station
John Hilbert stood by the railroad tracks at the Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, station on a sweltering Gulf Coast morning, waiting.
He was part of a small crowd of residents, travelers, tourism officials and city leaders gathered Monday to welcome the first passengers rolling in from New Orleans on Amtrak’s newest rail line. And though surrounded by official boosters of the region, Hilbert, who was meeting his friend, made as good of a pitch as anyone for what the new service could bring.
Amtrak launches Gulf Coast service with Mardi Gras celebrations at each stop
The Rhymer family’s Saturday outing at the Exploreum took an unexpected turn when the sound of a train whistle caught their attention.
“Completely unplanned,” Preston Rhymer of Robertsdale said with a smile.
Amtrak's long journey back to the Gulf Coast kicks off with community celebrations
Bands played and crowds cheered as the first Amtrak train in more than a decade rolled up to stations in South Mississippi.
That was 2016 and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker recalls, "It was a massive crowd at every stop." Kids and 80-year-old couples alike were there to cheer the inspection train and show their support for Amtrak. "I think it was the realization that this is the place where passenger rail can really work," he said.
Bay St. Louis potter commemorating Amtrak inaugural run
More than 300 guests will ride the inaugural Amtrak train this weekend for its Mardi Gras Service from Mobile to New Orleans, with plenty of stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“Excitement is an understatement,” Steve Barney told WLOX News. “We’ve been waiting years for this.”
Is NOLA-BR passenger train closer to pulling out of the station?
Today, Amtrak and the parent company of Greyhound buses are announcing a new service connecting to and from Baton Rouge. Meanwhile, work on bringing a railway link between New Orleans and the state capital continues.
Amtrak’s long journey back to the Gulf Coast kicks off with community celebrations
Bands played and crowds cheered as the first Amtrak train in more than a decade rolled up to stations in South Mississippi. That was 2016 and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker recalls, “It was a massive crowd at every stop.” Kids and 80-year-old couples alike were there to cheer the inspection train and show their support for Amtrak. “I think it was the realization that this is the place where passenger rail can really work,” he said.