LA: Amtrak service from NO to Mobile could be a reality by Super Bowl

July 28 – A new agreement between the city of Mobile and Amtrak could see passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile on the Gulf Coast resume early next year.

Mobile City leaders said last week they have finalized the language for a financing agreement and land lease that will clear the way for construction of a new train station — the last hurdle before service can begin. A majority of the Mobile City Council, which opposed the deal earlier this spring over cost concerns, is expected to approve the agreement next week.

The breakthrough is a victory for those who have been trying to bring passenger rail back to the Gulf Coast for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. The service would run twice daily in each direction between the Union Passenger Terminal in downtown New Orleans and a new platform in downtown Mobile, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula along the way.

“We’re very excited about this,” said Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. “We’ve been working on this for a long time. It’s time to get something up and running.”

The deal also has potential significance for the return of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which was discontinued in 1969. The commission and the administration of former Gov. John Bel Edwards have tried for years to come up with a plan and identify funding sources for the line, though their efforts are currently stalled.

Rail proponents argue that a New Orleans-Mobile line could serve as a “proof of concept” and increase support for service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

“Finalizing the Mobile deal is important because it shows momentum,” said John Spain, a Baton Rouge civic leader and vice chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. “Actually running a train is better than talking about it.”

Clear the road

This isn’t the first time the commission has been optimistic about the New Orleans-Mobile line’s imminent return. Last September, the Federal Railroad Administration approved a $178 million grant to improve the tracks and build the new platform in Mobile. At the time, officials said the service could be up and running in the first half of this year.

But progress has slowed as Mobile officials have been reluctant to provide their share of the service’s operating funds. In recent days, the Port Authority of Alabama and the Alabama Governor’s Office have said they will help cover the costs, clearing the way for the project to move forward, according to local media.

Knox acknowledged that it will be difficult to get the service up and running by early 2025, but he said it is possible.

“Ideally, we’d like to have it up and running in time for the Super Bowl,” he said. “We think it’s doable.”

High in the air

The future of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is less certain. While the federal government approved funding for Gulf Coast service last year, it rejected a request for $108 million for the New Orleans-Baton Rouge line. That money is needed to replace the aging wooden trestle over part of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, where trains must now slow to 10 mph.

Under the rules of the federal grant program, the state can reapply for the grant. But it’s unclear whether Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration plans to do so.

The federal money making the passenger rail projects possible comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021, which despite its name passed along narrow party lines and was rejected by most Republicans in Congress. It has been hailed as one of the Biden administration’s crowning achievements, putting $66 billion into passenger rail, the largest U.S. government investment since Amtrak was created in 1971.

Landry is a conservative Republican. His office did not respond to a request for comment. His adviser and confidant in New Orleans, Shane Guidry, said he had not discussed passenger rail with the governor.

Spain said he could not comment on whether the Landry administration will back the effort to expand passenger rail service in the state. But Ross, who lives in Mississippi, said he is optimistic.

“I do a lot of business in North Louisiana and have good contacts there and from what I hear, this administration is very open to this,” he said. “There are a lot of people who see the benefit of it. So we’re hopeful.”

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