Louisiana – Gulf Coast Amtrak Service Reality by Super Bowl?

It's taken almost twenty years to restore what Hurricane Katrina removed in less than a day. We are speaking of passenger rail service from New Orleans, Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama. The big storm of 2005 destroyed so much infrastructure that passenger service between those two Gulf Coast cities hasn't resumed, but that could be changing in a matter of months. 

The last hurdle in reconnecting Mobile and New Orleans via passenger trains was in the city of Mobile. Unlike Louisiana and Mississippi, the state of Alabama had not been as free and easy with funding arrangements for the project. Therefore a lot of the financial burden was placed on the city of Mobile.

Just last week the city council in Mobile met to discuss the creation of a new railway station and other major improvements needed for the rail service to become a reality. The council appears to have given the go-ahead and it is entirely possible the trains could be running by the time the NFL Super Bowl is contested in New Orleans in February.

However, many people on the ground and close to the project say rail service might not be operational by February 9th and the Super Bowl LIX takes place in the Big Easy. The delay seems to be less about the trains and tracks and more about the stations and passenger amenities.

We should note that the official/unofficial timeline for rail service to return to the Gulf Coast has been announced as "the first quarter of 2025". So, technically, the project would still be "on schedule" if service began anytime before March 31, 2025.

The NOLA to Mobile rail scenario will also play a huge part in whether the return of passenger rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans will be re-established. That service ended in 1969 but former Governor John Bel Edwards secured federal funding for that project which could be the next railroad improvement in Louisiana.

It is unclear as to whether or not current Governor Jeff Landry supports the project. That support would be key in the implementation of the rail service because the federal grant secured by the Edwards administration would likely expire and need to be reapplied for by the Landry administration if the project is destined to move forward.