Passenger Rail Service Set to Return to Gulf Coast Between New Orleans and Mobile

Passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile is on track to return early next year, thanks to a new agreement between the city of Mobile and Amtrak. The breakthrough comes after Mobile city leaders finalized a funding agreement and ground lease for a new train stop, the final hurdle needed before the service can begin.

The service, which will run twice a day 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, marks the first return of passenger trains to the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina.

“We are 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 is also seen as potentially significant for the return of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which was discontinued in 1969. The commission and former Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration had been working on a plan for the line, though their efforts are currently stalled.

The Federal Railroad Administration authorized a $178 million grant last September to improve tracks and build the new platform in Mobile, with officials initially aiming for operational service by the first half of this year. Progress slowed as Mobile officials hesitated to provide their share of operating funds, but recent commitments from the Port Authority of Alabama and the Alabama Governor’s Office have cleared the way for the project to move forward.

While the New Orleans-Mobile line is on track for early 2025, the future of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is less certain. The federal government approved funding for the Gulf Coast service but denied a request for $108 million for the New Orleans-Baton Rouge line, needed to replace an old wooden trestle. It remains unclear if Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration will reapply for the grant.

The federal funding for these passenger rail projects comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, which allocated $66 billion toward passenger rail, the largest such investment since the creation of Amtrak in 1971. Landry, a conservative Republican, has not indicated his stance on the projects, but there is optimism from rail advocates for continued support.

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