In February 2016, the Pascagoula community came out to welcome Amtrak officials and other dignitaries, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, as a passenger train pulled into Pascagoula for the first time since 2005.

And then they waited. And hoped.

Six years later, they’re still waiting -- and hoping.

The return of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile -- with Pascagoula as the only Jackson County stop -- remains somewhat in limbo. The Southern Rail Commission -- comprised of state-appointees from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama -- has been pushing for years for the return of passenger service and helped secure $66 million in federal funding for rail infrastructure improvements.