Amtrak Mardi Gras Service from Mobile to New Orleans will begin Aug. 18

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Amtrak on Tuesday answered the two most important questions looming over its years-long bid to restore passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast – when it will start and how much it will cost.

The answer to the first question is Aug. 18. The answer to the second varies depending on the day and the train, but Amtrak officials said fares will be as low as $15 for a one-way ticket for the full length. A quick search of the Amtrak booking website showed one-way prices in the $25 range, and almost double for business class.

Nicole Bucich, Amtrak’s vice president of network development and state supported service, alluded to the years of negotiations – and sometimes skepticism – that it took to restore service that ended after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“I can think of one word that … we can use to describe how we feel today, and that word is ‘finally,’” she said during the first of six news conferences along the Gulf Coast.

Amtrak now is selling tickets for the twice-daily service, which will depart Mobile at 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Those trains will make stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis before arriving in New Orleans at 10:30 a.m. and 8:13 p.m., respectively.

The return trains will arrive each day in Mobile and 11:18 a.m. and 9:14 p.m.

The times make it possible to make a day trip from Mobile to New Orleans for a noon Saints game and finish in time for the return train.

Bucich said as an added incentive to promote the train line, dubbed Amtrak Mardi Gras Service, passengers signed up for the company’s rewards program will earn triple points. The fares also include everyday discounts for children, students, seniors and veterans.

“This is an exciting day for Mobile,” said David Clark, the city’s tourism chief and a member of the Southern Rain Commission, which is sponsoring the route.

Getting the green light took years of negotiations in Mobile, where train supporters had to navigate a political landscape that included skepticism toward the idea that city taxpayers fund a subsidy that state governments in Louisiana and Mississippi handle, as well as concerns from the Port of Mobile that passenger trains would disrupt the freight trains that are crucial for shipping products to and from the busy port.

In the end, the Mobile City Council agreed to put up a little more than $3 million to fund the service for three years. The Alabama Port Authority and Gov. Kay Ivey’s office agreed to split that cost.

Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, sought to counter the impression that foot-dragging in Mobile has held up the project.

“I want people to understand that the very first organization or city or state that signed on the dotted line was the city of Mobile,” he said. “They were the first people. … I want y’all to know that Mobile stepped up. Mobile took some licks. Everybody said, ‘What about Mobile? What’s wrong with Mobile?’ There’s nothing wrong with Mobile.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson asked how many passengers would be able to take the inaugural train.

“There’s seven city councilors and one mayor who are very interested in making sure that we’re on that on that train,” he said.

Stimpson noted that Amtrak comes along as the city recently opened nearby park featuring statues of the city’s Hall of Fame professional athletes. The train stop also sits in front of Cooper-Riverside Park, which the city hopes to reopen by the end of the year after renovations.

“Having Amtrak come back just helps add to the activation of the waterfront,” he said. “It’s just getting – it should be getting just better and better and better. And so what Amtrak has done and going to do will be a huge part of making that all possible.”

Folks in downtown Mobile on Tuesday welcomed the news.

Daphne resident Donnie Lendrum said he does not have much experience riding trains, but he added that he thinks it is a good alternative – especially if fares are near the $15 low mark that Amtrak advertised on Tuesday.

“I mean, you couldn’t drive the New Orleans for that much gas,” he said. “It’d cost you more than that – wear and tear on your car.”

Mobile resident Megan Eaton said she is looking forward to the service.

“I think that is an excellent concept,” she said. “I think that it will bring a lot of money and tourism to the cities that it stops at, and I think it’ll be great for Mobile and surrounding areas. ... For sure, I will be riding it on the weekends and planning trips.”

Tickets cane be purchased now at Amtrak.com, the Amtrak mobile app and at 1-800-USA-RAIL, although users experienced glitches on Amtrak’s website early Tuesday.

The service will feature intercity passenger trains twice-daily between Mobile and New Orleans, with four stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Information about destination cities can be found online at www.amtrak.com/mardi-gras-service.

These Amtrak trains will offer coach and business class in addition to cafe service with a menu featuring locally sourced items, the railroad says. Amtrak touts wide reclining seats with ample legroom, no middle seats, free Wi-Fi and generous carry-on baggage allowances. With space reserved in advance, golf bags will be accepted and pets will be welcomed in carriers and within appropriate weights.

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service guests have same-day connections in both directions daily to the Amtrak City of New Orleans trains between New Orleans and Chicago via Jackson, Miss., and Memphis, and next-day connections in New Orleans to Amtrak Crescent trains to and from New York via Atlanta, and Amtrak Sunset Limited trains to and from Los Angeles via Tucson, San Antonio and Houston.

Updated at 12:25 p.m. with additional information.