Amtrak to Restore Service Along This Southern Route for the First Time in Nearly 20 Years

Amtrak will restore service to the Gulf Coast for the first time in almost 20 years as part of a nearly $200 million grant the rail company received from the federal government.

The plan, called the Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project, will aim to re-establish twice-daily service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans next year, according to Amtrak. The project will redevelop part of the rail line that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The project, which is run in cooperation with the Southern Rail Commission, will be completed with money from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program with additional funding from several stakeholders, including Amtrak and the states of Mississippi and Louisiana.

“The CRISI grants announced today will help launch new and expanded service, advance critical safety and reliability improvements, and provide opportunities for the workforce, marking another big milestone as we continue to advance a new era of passenger rail,” Amtrak’s CEO Stephen Gardner said in a statement. 

The grant covers several improvements along the route, including the development, final design, and construction for track and signal-related improvements, as well as upgrades to grade crossings and improvements to stations.

The plan to bring back service to the Gulf Coast has been in the works for years. In 2020, the Mobile City Council voted to support a project to restore service between the city and New Orleans. Previously, Amtrak operated service that ran along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans all the way to Jacksonville, FL, according to the company.

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said the grant represented “years of dedicated efforts to reconnect our communities after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.”

Wicker added: “Restoring passenger rail service will create jobs, improve quality of life, and offer a convenient travel option for tourists, contributing to our region's economic growth and vitality.”

Travelers who end up in New Orleans can also board Amtrak’s City of New Orleans train, which runs 900 miles from Chicago down to New Orleans’ Union Passenger Terminal.

In addition to the Gulf Coast, Amtrak will use the federal grant for other projects, including to fund a programmatic study and survey of potential fence locations along the Northeast Corridor.