July 26, 2024 - TRA Newswire -

An agreement is said to be finalized that would restore passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama along the Gulf Coast corridor. 

The agreement, which is scheduled for final approval during the first week of August, centers on a three-year funding plan and a land-use agreement between Amtrak, the City of Mobile, and the Port of Mobile. 

The pact hinged on having at least five of seven Mobile city councilmen agree and the deciding vote came recently from Councilman Josh Woods. Woods would only agree to the terms if the city would not be held responsible for its share of the operating subsidy past the initial three-year agreement. 

While the full details haven’t been announced, the Port of Mobile and the City of Mobile will contribute some funding to help cover Alabama’s share of the operations budget for the first three years of service.

Photo credit: Bob Johnston - site of the future Amtrak Mobile, Alabama station, just steps to the Mobile cruise port. 

Amtrak hasn’t announced a hard timeline for introduction of the twice-daily service, which will depend on how quickly work is completed on a few key projects to upgrade existing tracks.

Passenger trains would share tracks with freight trains on the route from Mobile to New Orleans. There would be stops in Bay St. Louis, Pascagoula, Gulfport, and Biloxi. 

An initial agreement in 2022 brokered by the Southern Rail Commission with Amtrak and freight rail companies ran into roadblocks when Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and several Mobile councilmen balked over funding concerns. Unlike Louisiana and Mississippi, that contributed a share of operating costs, Ivey opposed state of Alabama funding.  

Rail Passengers Association President Jim Mathews issued the following statement “Our coalition has been working for almost two decades to bring back passenger trains to the Gulf Coast, and so we are thrilled at today’s announcement, which clears the way for the reintroduction of Amtrak service between New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama.

This process has taken a long time—too long, to be frank. But that makes us all the more grateful to Amtrak, the Port of Mobile, and the City of Mobile—particularly Mayor Sandy Stimpson—for returning to the negotiating table, as many times as it took, to get this project across the finish line. Rail Passengers Association applauds the work done by the Mobile City Council, and urges the Council to approve this agreement with all due haste.”

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Photo credit: Southern Rail Commission