October 8, 2025 - TRA Newswire -

The new Amtrak Mardi Gras trains running between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama have carried well over 15,000 riders after five weeks of service along Gulf Coast cities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Those numbers well exceed initial estimates for ridership.

Speaking at the Rail Passengers Association national meeting in San Antonio last weekend, Amtrak Government Affairs spokesperson Todd Stennis said "the two daily round trips are averaging over 400 riders per day, north of 100 riders per train. The daily capacity on the train is 137 seats so that's pretty significant when you've got that kind of average."

Stennis said "you would think that ridership would drop of dramatically during the weekdays but it's not. On the weekends Saturday has been a busier day than Sunday. It's really pretty solid when you look at the load factors across the board."

Thanks to the efforts of the Southern Rail Commission and with grant programs in place, cities along the route will be seeing upgraded station improvements. 

Amtrak recently added an additional train car to the consist for special events like New Orleans Saints football games. That additional coach car sold out quickly for the first three Saints home games. 

Other regional events as Mississippi's popular "Cruisin' the Coast" festival have resulted in sold out trains.

Riding the entire route between Mobile and New Orleans takes 3 hours and 45 minutes, with upgrades expected to take additional time off of the trip.

It took over a decade to establish service on the Mardi Gras line with agreements needed between the three states involved. Aiding in establishment of the train service were two federal rail grant programs. The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Improvement Program (CRISI) and the Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Program were essential to start service, according to Stennis. "Federal compacts will be critical moving forward to establish new service between state partners." 

The Amtrak spokesperson also touched on two other passenger rail projects being advanced by the Southern Rail Commission, Baton Rouge to New Orleans and the I-20 corridor from Dallas-Fort Worth to Meridian, Mississippi and Atlanta. 

Canadian Pacific Railroad has already indicated it will be a willing partner to host passenger service between Dallas-Fort Worth to the east. The plan is to have a section of the current Amtrak Crescent train between New York and New Orleans split at Meridian, Mississippi and offer a daily service toward Shreveport, East Texas and into the DFW area. There are hurdles to clear and that will take time, according to Stennis.

New Orleans to Baton Rouge is already in a Federal Railroad Administration program and can be advanced relatively quickly, according to Stennis, "as long as we have willing state partners and willing host railroads that are willing to work with us."

Photo credit: WWLTV.com