BATON ROUGE — Railway enthusiasts of the Southeast have something to celebrate: The Southern Rail Commission has announced that Amtrak will return to the Gulf Coast in 2025 for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. For years, rail advocates have been pushing for the reinstatement of the route that would allow Amtrak to run trains leaving Mobile each day at 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., stopping in four Mississippi cities before ending the run in New Orleans. Two trains beginning in New Orleans would end in Mobile.
“This is an incredible outcome and we have worked so very hard with our partners to finally get to this point. With the funding in place, this train can roll soon, and it will have a great return on investment and a tremendous impact in connecting people with jobs and education opportunities, boosting our local economies, and supporting our growing tourism industry in our coastal cities. The Southern Rail Commission extends our sincere thanks to everyone who has been instrumental in this project, including Senator Wicker, Governor Ivey, Mayor Stimpson and the Mobile City Council, the Port Authority of Alabama, CSX, Amtrak, and all of our partners who have gotten us to this important milestone,” stated Knox Ross, Chair of the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) in an email.
According to information via the Southern Rail Commission website, Amtrak may even be prepared to reinstate the route before Super Bowl Super Bowl LIX.
