Mobile to vote on agreement that would restore passenger rail service to Gulf Coast
The Mobile City Council will vote Tuesday on resolutions that should help restore passenger service to the Gulf Coast.
On July 25, Mobile announced an agreement had been reached between the city, the state and the Port of Mobile that would allow Amtrak to bring the passenger rail service back to the area for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
The City Council will consider three resolutions on Tuesday:
- An agreement between the city and the port for $1 million over three years in funding for the rail service
- Another $3.048 million in funding over three years from the city.
- A lease agreement between the city and the National Railroad Corporation for property and a rail platform for rail service.
A pre-council meeting will be held at 9 a.m., with the City Council meeting beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Government Plaza Auditorium on the first floor.
Once those resolutions are approved, work can begin on the platform and allow for a start date on the Amtrak run.
The starting date is expected for first quarter of 2025 — with New Orleans pushing for a start date in time for the 2025 Super Bowl, which is scheduled for February 9, 2025 at the Caesar’s Superdome.
The run from Mobile to New Orleans will include four stops in Mississippi — Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis. Test runs along the route began earlier this year.
Amtrak already has announced that once the service begins, trains will leave Mobile at 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily with the Mississippi stops en route to New Orleans.
