A new state bill introduced by a Gainesville lawmaker would make Florida a part of the Southern Rail Commission.
Sponsored by State Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville, Hinson wrote that since September 2005, North Florida has lacked rail service due to the impacts from Hurricane Katrina, which damaged Amtrak's Sunset Limited route and previously connected New Orleans to Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Orlando. The route still connects New Orleans to Los Angeles.
Contractors are doing preliminary work on a new passenger train stop downtown, but there still is no definitive timeline on when the project will be complete.
A federal grant is paying for CSX Corp. to construct a temporary platform next to the Arthur Outlaw Mobile Convention Center for an Amtrak stop and a sidetrack where the train will park overnight.
“All stakeholders are working to begin Gulf Coast passenger service as expeditiously as possible,” company spokesman Austin Staton said in an email. “I can confirm that CSX does have contractors on site, and they have been doing clearing and grading work.”
Amtrak’s Gulf Coast route isn’t ready for the proverbial ‘Y’all aboard’ quite yet, but signals are starting to crank up. By next month, details about a start date and fares should be disclosed.
The Southern Rail Commission, a quasi-governmental agency that has long advocated for the restoration of passenger rail from Mobile to New Orleans, met for the final time on Friday before the train’s return. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for June 6, in Bay St. Louis, Miss. But that meeting is likely to be rescheduled to coincide with the start of the Amtrak service.
Linking the Mardi Gras capital of New Orleans in Louisiana and the waterfront city of Mobile in Alabama, Amtrak’s Gulf Coast train is set to become one of the USA’s great rail routes once more when it relaunches in spring 2025. Following the southern US shoreline for most of its three-hour journey, it passes through Louisiana’s Cajun country — known for its miles of bayous, traditional festivals and hearty gumbos (spicy Cajun chicken soup) — and coastal Mississippi.
A new station, nearly 20 years in the making, will make the goal of connecting Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, La., closer to a reality in Summer 2025.
Officials said the construction of a new Amtrak platform and layover track in Mobile is underway with a targeted completion date of this summer. Officials expect the first trains to roll out of the station then.
After nearly two decades of anticipation, passenger rail service between Mobile and New Orleans is finally approaching the finish line.
Construction on a new Amtrak platform and layover track in downtown Mobile is underway, and officials are eyeing summer 2025 for the first trains to roll out.
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Amtrak’s could be operating Gulf Coast service by June, according to U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
Wicker is even inviting newly minted U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to Mississippi in June, “when Amtrak services are expected to resume along the Gulf Coast,” a Jan. 15 news release indicates.
Passenger rail service in the United States is woefully lacking compared to other countries, particularly long-distance service that connects far-reaching cities. Amtrak currently operates 15 long-distance routes, which range from 750 to 2,500 miles. But they stretch over just 39 states and the District of Columbia, and a map of those routes reveals that large swaths of the country don’t have any rail options.
Hoping to soon restore rail service along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans and Mobile after 20 years, the Federal Railroad Administration last week granted $21.1 million for Amtrak, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans said.
“This funding is not just restoring a rail line, it is reigniting economic opportunity, expanding access to transportation, and reconnecting families and businesses across the region,” Carter said. The money comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.