New Gulf Coast Amtrak service (New Orleans - Mobile and Baton Rouge)

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There will be an official of the Southern Rail Commission attending the RPA Fall Council Meeting in Meridian MS next week. I noticed there is a presentation on the agenda too. So we will probably learn some of the latest straight from the proverbial horse's mouth between this person and Amtrak's Larry Chestler who will also be there.
 
I hope someone in attendance can give some official answers on many of the the things about Amtrak that concern us. Hopefully it won’t just be Amtrak/RPA happy talk. My list includes-
-Schedule for repairs to bad order equipment
-Reason for keeping New Viewliner cars in mothballs and schedule to put them in service
-Strategy for revenue management if train consists are enlarged. Sleepers are unaffordable for most now
-2024 plans for new service or LD schedule changes
-Plans for more consistent on board service- Train Supervisor? (perhaps assigned to a region, not specific train)
- Plans for new VP marketing
-Progress of negotiations with host railroads for OT train performance
-Timeline and plans for spending the $66b IIJA bill.

Will the meeting be available online?
 
I did watch it and my impression was the issues that initiated the proceedings, at Amterak's request, have been resolved. Those dealt with the need for track improvements that the railroads and the Port were concerned about. The funding for that has also been obtained and construction is about ready to proceed after some final FRA review. This would involve various siding and turnout work throughout the area.

But, the Chairman blasted Amtrak for failure to obtaining an operating agreement with the city that should have been in place long ago. That agreement would have provided for the lease of the property for the station platform and agreement on sharing operating costs. Amtrak could not answer when that would be done. A frustrated Chairman said he wanted answers and called for another status update to get those answers in 30 days.

At least it was good to hear that the railroads and the Port are satisfied with the agreements reached that satisfy their concerns. Assuming that agreement with the city is finalized I think I heard CSX say that construction could be complete by October this year. Who knows how long it would take to build the platform and station track, which Amtrak is funding separately from the CRISI grant for the railroad infrastructure projects.
 
The Trains News Wire editorial was written on Thursday, 2/15/2024, after the STB meeting.

Bill Stephens is a respected long-time columnist with Trains magazine.

If you read the article you realize the recommendation to "bail" is to prevent Amtrak oppositionists from using this failing proposal as ammunition to prevent or hinder other route expansions.
 
Hytec said:
If you read the article you realize the recommendation to "bail" is to prevent Amtrak oppositionists from using this failing proposal as ammunition to prevent or hinder other route expansions.
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Agreed; that's how I read it too. Sometimes all the support from the railfan and pro-transit communities can't help the numbers add up differently. Unless there is a mandate to run this route that resulted in its suspension, rather than outright cancellation, nostalgia can't be the driver. This certainly doesn't sound like an example of "if you build it they will come". 🤔
 
We live in New Orleans and like to travel to the coast frequently—routinely two to three times a month. Being able to go without the hassle of being behind the wheel and not having to be constantly looking for parking spaces is what I'm looking forward to. I can't believe those in Mississippi don't feel the same way about traveling to New Orleans

My personal opinion? For whatever reason (corruption) is the culprit for not getting this done, when it comes to Mobile’s cooperation. Go ahead and do this and just leave Mobile out of the equation.

Want to make this trip by train, not car!
 
Thirty plus years ago, the last Amtrak NOLA/Mobile train started in August with two coaches. By Christmas ridership was so high that it needed five coaches. Then CSX shut down the line between Christmas and New Year's with no prior public announcement to repair the Rigolets bridge. Amtrak resumed after New Year's with five coaches, almost empty. (Fool me once, shame on you.) Amtrak cancelled the train in March.

I hope the latest traffic studies did not use that post-Christmas ridership experience for history..
 
Amtrak fought so long and hard and risked a great deal duking it out with the host railroads that wanted no part of it. The STB also invested a great deal in this. The railroads finally caved and the STB's credibility was confirmed. Big picture, it would be a mistake to drop the mic now.

But the lesson going forward seems to be if the local politics won't support it as is obviously the case with Mobile, these efforts are doomed to failure.
 
Withdrawing is not Amtrak’s choice to make. Its mission is to run passenger rail for people that want it - and pulling out would be a terrible move of bad faith with all the work the southern rail commission has done. Obviously if Mississippi and Mobile pull the funding then the game is over but we aren’t there yet and SRC is going to have some tough advocacy to see this through but they’ve worked hard on this so I think pulling the plug would be an overreaction and I think would actually set a worse precedent given a CRISI grant has been awarded. Bill Stephens may be a respected columnist for trains magazine but that doesn’t mean he’s right about this.
 
Local news reported that the previous Mobile mayor and council approved and committed to this service. The previous mayor and one councilman were replaced in the last election. The new mayor and councilman have effectively reneged on the previous action by not approving land acquisition of the station platform and parking siding. As said in the article, negotiations are ongoing.

I have no idea if Alabama law provides for any action, legal or public to counter such action. Thus far nothing has been reported.

Mississippi has not withdrawn their funding. They're merely examining other budget needs if the proposed service falls through.
 
This new service is not exactly something coming out of the blue. They've been planning this for at least a couple of years. What's the deal with Mobile throwing a wrench in the works? Are the city leader philosophically opposed to having Amtrak (or any passenger rail) service, or are there practical objections that need to be dealt with?
 
Louisiana and Mississippi supporting Amtrak is huge. A couple of notes:
  • The Miss. Gulf Coast became such an economic engine in the 1990s that it got its own area code, in a low-density state with only one code. The lowest density states in the South are Ark. (58 per sq. mi.), Miss. (63), Ala. (99), La. (108). It wasn't all the casino, but that was part of policy choices made, and one against prevailing religious beliefs. (The most lopsided election results I ever saw in Va. were against the state lottery, when one county went 90% against.) Some oppose expanded gambling for other reasons of course.
  • New Orleans to Baton Rouge is a mega industrial train route on both sides of the river. And an obvious passenger corridor. So the state support is encouraging.
 
I was actually looking forward to this service. Being in Baton Rouge, I would drive to NO and take the train to Mobile. Then take the ride to the beaches in a vehicle.This is really so crazy if cancelled. Just like train from Baton Rouge to New Orleans/ I don’t expect that to come to fruition either.
 
cassie225 said:
I was actually looking forward to this service. Being in Baton Rouge, I would drive to NO and take the train to Mobile. Then take the ride to the beaches in a vehicle.This is really so crazy if cancelled. Just like train from Baton Rouge to New Orleans/ I don’t expect that to come to fruition either.
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The La. politicians seem onboard for BR, but such things have happened before.
 

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