December 10, 2024 - TRA Newswire -

It's not years anymore.

Knox Ross, Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, says that the return of passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama is "down to months, not years."

At the quarterly commission meeting Ross told other attendees that "we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and that's actually a train."

Ross start the start of construction is imminent for a layover track and a station in Mobile. The city of Mobile gave Amtrak authorization for a temporary construction easement, allowing Amtrak to engage their contractor. Amtrak and CSX, the railroad that owns the tracks the passenger trains will run on, will both have projects in work at the same time.

It's now down to paperwork being signed between Amtrak and both the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Trains will not be able to roll until all operating agreements are signed. Amtrak had been qualifying its engineers and conductors on the route for months to familiarize themselves with the terrain, so that would not be a issue. 

Mobile city officials had held up approval to help fund the twice-daily train until August, when the city council voted in support. 

The schedule so far calls for a morning and an afternoon train from both New Orleans and Mobile, making stops at Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. 

The Southern Rail Commission secured almost $10 million under a Restoration and Enhancement Grant program for the service. Under this program, Amtrak will pick up 90% of the operating costs the first year with local and state government paying only 10%. Amtrak's share will decrease over a six year period from 80% to 30%, with locals picking up the balance that revenue does not generate after the six year period. By then, ridership is expected to cover the majority, it not all, of operating costs. 

The last passenger service ended when hurricane Katrina took out CSX tracks and infrastructure in 2005. The tracks were restored within months but Amtrak did not reinstitute service, which back then was a tri-weekly Sunset Limited from Florida to California. Passenger service east of Mobile has been sought by cities in Florida, but there have been no concrete steps have been taken to restore trains. 

Photo credit: Southern Rail Commission