(The Center Square) − Shovels hit the dirt in Mobile in October, marking the long-anticipated revival of passenger rail service between Mobile and New Orleans. According to the Southern Rail Commission, service will begin in spring of 2025.
Communities along the Gulf Coast, including Pascagoula, Biloxi, and Gulfport, will once again be linked by Amtrak’s Gulf Coast Corridor — a service last operational before Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region in 2005.
The project, backed by years of federal, state, and local collaboration, has been hailed as a major step in restoring vital transportation infrastructure and fostering economic growth.
The Southern Rail Commission, which spearheaded the effort, has emphasized the wide-reaching benefits of the renewed rail line.
“This is an incredible outcome,” said SRC Chairman Knox Ross. “With the funding in place, this train can roll soon, and it will have a great return on investment. It will connect people with jobs and education opportunities, boost our local economies, and support the growing tourism industry in our coastal cities.”
The Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project has received significant federal backing. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg highlighted the importance of the restoration effort during a visit to Mobile on Oct. 22.
Buttigieg celebrated the project, calling it a milestone for the Gulf Coast.
“The Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project will restore passenger train service between Mobile and New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005,” Buttigieg said.
The restoration has been years in the making, thanks to grants awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration and other federal prograMiss.
In 2016, the SRC began planning and station upgrades with more than $2 million in rail administration funding. Subsequent grants included $5.45 million in 2019 for operational costs and $33 million for critical infrastructure improvements. The effort has also drawn matching funds from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Mobile.
The project’s success is a testament to persistent advocacy. Ross and other SRC leaders credited support from elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. and the late U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. as well as local partners like Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and the Mobile City Council.
“We are almost to the finish line,” Ross said. “We look forward to riding this train in the near future.”
The rail line is expected to enhance mobility along the Gulf Coast, providing new connections for workers, students, and tourists alike.