MOBILE, Ala. — A passenger train rolled through the Port City this week for the first time in years, and Gulf Coast rail advocates are calling it a milestone on the long road to restored service. Amtrak ran its first trip from New Orleans to Mobile and back, sending the train speeding west through Irvington as onlookers captured video of the rare sight.
The Southern Rail Commission describes the run as a “familiarization trip” — a training exercise that lets crews learn the route firsthand and get comfortable operating on the line before paying passengers ever board.
First trains since Katrina
Passenger rail between New Orleans and Mobile has been absent since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged the track along the Gulf Coast. Ever since, officials in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana have pushed to bring it back as part of a broader Gulf Coast rail restoration effort.
Service between the two cities is scheduled to begin this year, though Amtrak has not announced an official start date. The route would reconnect Mobile with stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, giving South Alabama travelers a direct passenger link to New Orleans for the first time in nearly two decades.
The familiarization runs are among the final steps before launch: crews must verify track conditions, signals and station procedures along the entire corridor. Rail backers say each successful trip moves the region closer to the day tickets go on sale.