Mobile close to agreements to bring Amtrak rail service to the city

The city of Mobile still has work to do before work can begin to build a platform for Amtrak passenger service in that city.

Southern Rail Commissioners heard an update during their quarterly meeting that was held in Mobile on Friday morning.

Amtrak and the City of Mobile are finalizing the details for the station platform and layover track which is the final piece of infrastructure needed before the train can operate.

A lease agreement also has to be signed between the city and Amtrak, which is expected to be done by the end of this month.

The city also has to vote on whether to subsidize the rail service to the tune of about $3 million over three years. If that doesn’t happen, it could jeopardize federal grant money that has been earmarked for the project.

Representatives speaking at the Southern Rail Commission meeting said agreements should be finalized by the end of June.

“We’re all on the same page,” one city official said during the meeting.

Officials also said the rail service is “months away, not years.”

The next meeting is scheduled for September 13.