AL: Gulf Coast Amtrak service on track for June return, senator says

Amtrak’s could be operating Gulf Coast service by June, according to U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi.

Wicker is even inviting newly minted U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to Mississippi in June, “when Amtrak services are expected to resume along the Gulf Coast,” a Jan. 15 news release indicates.

“The return of Amtrak services to the Gulf Coast states has been almost a two-decade long effort, and one of many to help the region recover from Hurricane Katrina,” Wicker said in a statement to AL.com on Tuesday.

Wicker’s comments come after fencing has been installed around the perimeter of where a new Amtrak train stop will be built in downtown Mobile, signifying the potential start of construction.

The project, including a layover track, is seen as the final infrastructure needed before the twice-daily train service between New Orleans and Mobile can begin. A layover track is a side track for trains to wait so they don’t block the main line while passengers load and unload.

Passenger service includes four Mississippi stops - Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.

“I am thrilled to see construction begin on the Amtrak station and layover track in Mobile, which is one of the final steps needed for services to resume,” Wicker said. “I am hopeful that the trains will be operational in June of this year. This investment is finally reaching the finish line.”

Wicker has been the biggest cheerleader for the project in Congress, and he has urged previous Transportation Secretaries to help champion the project. Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary under President Joe Biden, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in October in Mobile to commemorate the start of the construction work.

Amtrak did not provide immediate reactions to Wicker’s comments. No official start date nor timeline has been released for the beginning of the service. CSX is charged with building a new 3,000-foot layover track to support the Amtrak facility.

“All stakeholders are working to begin Gulf Coast passenger service as expeditiously as possible,” said Austin Staton, spokesperson with CSX. “I can confirm that CSX does have contractors on site, and they have begun the process of clearing and light grading.”

Staton said the company did not have any further updates.

Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission (SRC), said his organization does not have a firm timeline yet for the train’s restart. He said that as soon as they do, the SRC will schedule a news conference to roll out the details.

The train’s branding, ticket prices, and other details have also not yet been released.

Amtrak has a history of waiting until just before service restarts to release details, such as the start date and fares. The last time Amtrak started a similar, state-supported route – the St. Paul’s, Minn.-to-Chicago Borealis – the operations began on May 21, 2024, and only 10 days after Amtrak announced the official start date.

The Gulf Coast project has been years in the making after Gulf Coast service was halted from the damage of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The struggles to get the service restarted captured national attention in Washington, D.C., as a dispute went before U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Amtrak filed the case before the STB against CSX and Norfolk Southern, the two freight operators along the Gulf Coast between Mobile and New Orleans. The Alabama State Port Authority also opposed the Amtrak service, fearing additional trains would disrupt port operations.

A 2022 agreement, including millions for rail line improvements to accommodate port and freight traffic, resolved the disputes. The agreement meant Amtrak service was resuming, though operational support was still needed from state governments.

In Alabama, that backing is coming from a combination of the City of Mobile, the port, and the state. The city’s funding support was also contentious for several months last year. But the council, in August, unanimously approved their support for a three-year subsidy of $3.064 million.

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