January 4, 2023 - Sunherald.com - 

The agreement is forged for Amtrak to run from New Orleans to Mobile starting in 2023, and now there is talk that passenger trains could continue on from South Mississippi to Orlando and Miami.

A map outlining possible new service — revealed at a public meeting of the Amtrak board of directors Dec. 1 — shows Amtrak extending across the Florida panhandle again from Pensacola through Tallahassee and to Jacksonville on the East Coast. By opening the panhandle route again, passengers could ride Amtrak from the Coast to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, The Villages and other locations served by Amtrak.

Read more at: https://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article270584112.html

Companion story: https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/2023/01/03/amtrak-commuter-rail-in-pensacola-northwest-florida-back-on-table/69764083007/

Editors note: Amtrak Sunset Limited service east of New Orleans was discontinued in 2005 following railroad infrastructure damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Texas cities on the I-10 corridor, that were served by the trans-continental train, allowed passengers to travel as far as Miami, Florida. There has been no east-west southern through-service for 18 years.

Photo credit: Railway Age