Amtrak sells out first train scheduled to depart Mobile for New Orleans next month

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A day after announcing Aug. 18 as the start date for passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, the first train from the Port City to New Orleans now is sold out.

It is a positive sign for train enthusiasts trying to build excitement for the return of Amtrak to the Gulf Coast for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.

The inaugural train will leave Mobile at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 and arrive in New Orleans at 10:13 a.m. Business class tickets also are sold out for the afternoon train that leaves at 4:30 p.m., although as of Wednesday afternoon, coach tickets still could be had for $37.

The first train that will arrive in Mobile, which leaves New Orleans at 7:35 a.m., also is sold out.

The company announced the details of the long-awaited twice-daily Amtrak Mardi Gras Service on Tuesday, touting one-way tickets to New Orleans for “as low as $15.” That prompted complaints from some FOX10 News viewers, who had trouble finding any fares that low.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told FOX10 News that the company’s fares fluctuate based on demand.

“Fares are always subject to change,” he wrote in an email.

But $15 fares do exist. Magliari pointed to Aug. 20, which – at least as of Wednesday afternoon – would cost $15 for a trip from Mobile to New Orleans. That is a Wednesday.

“I would not expect to see fares such as these on weekends,” Magliari wrote.