Southern Rail Commission to issue grants to help fund train-station upgrades

The Southern Rail Commission (SRC) will award grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration to cities in Mississippi and Alabama to complete construction and enhance accessibility for each of their local passenger-rail stations.

SRC will award a total of $953,338 in four grants: Gulfport, Mississippi, will receive $246,500; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, will receive $270,000, Pascagoula, Mississippi, will receive $186,838; and Birmingham, Alabama, will receive $250,000.

Each grant award will require a local match of the same amount. The grant funding allows for investments in existing station rail facilities that ensure safe access and better connectivity to and from the station, which could improve ridership potential and expand the economic opportunity that comes with station redevelopment, SRC officials said in a press release.

The funding is being provided as SRC anticipates the return of Amtrak service in the Gulf Coast region between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, in 2022.