Amtrak launched a new train service in New Orleans this month, bringing passengers to Mobile, Alabama, for as little as $15 one-way. The train departs twice daily from the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal, stopping at four destinations in Mississippi before reaching Mobile.
The entire route takes about four hours, with stops along the Mississippi Coast in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.
The Mississippi coast is a popular day-trip destination for New Orleans locals, offering the closest beaches to the city. From Gulfport, beachgoers can take a ferry to Ship Island for about $50, where locals say the water is the clearest on the Gulf Coast.
The Amtrak Mardi Gras services take about four hours to reach Mobile, Ala., from New Orleans. (Lillian Foster)
Amtrak service signals recovery
The train service opened to the public last week, marking the return of Amtrak from New Orleans to Mississippi and Alabama for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
“This is one of the final pieces of the recovery puzzle,” U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said. “It’s been 20 years since we’ve had a rail service. People are going to be able to count on the schedule and know that the train is coming on time.”
A preview run of the service on Aug. 16 drew major crowds in four Gulf Coast cities as city and state officials, Amtrak leaders, Southern Rail Commission representatives and Mardi Gras krewe executives rode the train from New Orleans to Mobile.
Hundreds of revelers — many adorned in Mardi Gras gear — cheered and waved as the train arrived in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.
“It’s been nine years of Senator Roger Wicker’s passion to bring this back, and it’s aligned with our goals and mission to bring people to Biloxi,” Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said.
Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich praised U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker’s efforts on the project during an Amtrak press conference this month. (Lillian Foster)[/caption]
Long track to completion
The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service has been nearly nine years in the making, relying on sustained partnerships across local, state and federal levels.
The effort began in 2017, when the Federal Railroad Administration’s Gulf Coast Working Group submitted a report to the U.S. Congress recommending the restoration of the service.
In 2020, the FRA awarded a $33 million grant for the project, matched by contributions from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. That funding launched negotiations between Amtrak and freight railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern, bringing the project’s total cost to more than $238 million.
After six more years of talks, delays and funding hurdles, officials announced the service’s return in July 2025. Tickets for the inaugural public run sold out on the first day.