Passenger trains haven’t run along the Alabama Gulf Coast in a decade, but local officials and transportation advocates say momentum in Washington could finally put restoration back on track.
Passenger rail hasn’t operated along the coast since Hurricane Katrina forced the suspension of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited service in 2005. Supporters, led by the Southern Rail Commission, are pushing federal lawmakers to fund a study examining what it would take to restart daily service between New Orleans and Florida, potentially including a stop in Mobile.
“This isn’t about nostalgia or rail fans, it’s about economic development and it’s about commerce,” said John Robert Smith, a former longtime mayor of Meridian, Miss., and chairman of the advocacy group Transportation for America. He said restored rail service also matters for hurricane evacuations and moving goods along the coast.
A passenger rail reauthorization bill moving through Congress would direct the Federal Railroad Administration to study restoring service east of New Orleans, including possible stops and financing options. The Southern Rail Commission had previously sought federal grant money to fund its own study but was passed over for competitive transportation grants.
Locally, the effort has drawn support from coastal mayors, chambers of commerce and Mississippi casino operators, according to consultant Dan Dealy, who has worked for years on Gulf Coast rail restoration. He said that support hasn’t always translated to Washington, pointing to a recent town hall in Daphne where U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne defended his vote against Amtrak funding, arguing the private sector should lead any restoration effort.
Mobile currently has no train station — the original depot near Cooper Riverside Park was a Katrina casualty — but advocates say a new station along the city’s waterfront could become a tourism draw as well as a transportation asset. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson has expressed support for the rail effort, with Coastal Alabama Partnership CEO Wiley Blankenship representing the city in regional planning talks.
Supporters point to steady growth in the Gulf Coast’s population and tourism industry as evidence that ridership demand exists. Alabama’s lone existing route, the Birmingham-to-New Orleans “Crescent” line, has seen strong ridership in recent years, though no line currently serves the southern half of the state.
Cost remains the biggest obstacle. Past studies estimated restoration costs in the tens of millions of dollars, along with an estimated $15 million a year in operating expenses — a figure advocates argue could shrink as Amtrak’s existing fleet is refreshed with new rail cars.