Travel
Amtrak Could Revive Service To Gulf Coast
Amtrak has not offered service along the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but service could return to the area soon.
MOBILE, AL — The Surface Transportation Board announced a decision Monday that could bring passenger rail transportation back to the Gulf Coast. A Birmingham Business Journal report said the board allowed Amtrak’s petition to move forward for CSX and Norfolk Southern to provide access on the line between New Orleans and Mobile.
“This STB decision is incredibly gratifying, and the Southern Rail Commission is pleased that the STB refused CSX’s and Norfolk Southern’s effort to dismiss Amtrak’s petition for access to operate passenger rail between New Orleans and Mobile,” Knox Ross, Mississippi SRC Commissioner, said in the BBJ report. “We are especially pleased that the STB found no need for an environmental review and set an aggressive hearing schedule to resolve this process within an expeditious timeframe that could meet Amtrak’s stated goal of starting passenger service in January 2022. Our communities are ready for the return daily rail service.”
Read more about Amtrak's possible revival of service between Mobile and New Orleans in the Birmingham Business Journal.
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