Amtrak clears major hurdle to resume Gulf Coast service

The City Council of Mobile, Alabama, yesterday approved a pact with Amtrak and the Alabama State Port Authority that will help enable the return of passenger-rail service to the Gulf Coast city for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Through an agreement between the port authority, the state of Alabama and the City Council, about $3 million in funding has been promised to Amtrak for the next three years, marking essential progress for the return of service. The funds build upon a $178.4 million grant previously awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration, according to a press release issued by Transportation for America.

For the past several years, Amtrak has been trying to reestablish twice-daily service between Mobile and New Orleans. Amtrak's Gulf Coast passenger-rail service was knocked out by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"With the funding in place, this train can roll soon, and it will have a great return on investment and a tremendous impact in connecting people with jobs and education opportunities, boosting our local economies, and supporting our growing tourism industry in our coastal cities," said Southern Rail Commission Chair Knox Ross in a press release. The commission has long supported Amtrak's proposal to restore Gulf Coast service.

Several factors over the years have delayed Amtrak's plan, including opposition from some state, local and port officials. Amtrak also had to work out agreements with the rail line's host railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway.

Earlier this year, Surface Transportation Board held a hearing on Amtrak's proposal to resume train service along the Gulf. STB members wanted to know why the service was taking so long to get going.