Amtrak from Mobile to New Orleans faces three-year trial

For the first time since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Amtrak is set to operate on the Gulf Coast with a line from Mobile, Alabama, to New Orleans, pending Mobile City Council approval.

While the plan appears to have enough support to pass, council members have stated that it will not be tax-subsidized after an initial three-year period, which is essentially being considered a trial.

“What this does is give us three years to prove it,” Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross told FOX10 News on Tuesday. “And then we believe we’ll prove it. Now, I’m not saying it’s going to pay for itself. Nothing does, but it should show that it’s a good investment.”

“Look at it as a pilot program,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. “We will know within a couple of years whether some of the forecasts are right about the number of tourists or visitors that will be coming.”

The proposal comes in three parts:

• A vote to approve a long-term lease allowing Amtrak to build a train platform downtown and a 3,000-foot sidetrack where the train would park overnight.
• A vote to spend more than $3 million over three years to provide Alabama’s share of matching funds to attract a federal grant that would pay the majority of costs.
• A vote to formally accept an offer by the Alabama Port Authority to contribute $1 million toward that cost.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has expressed openness to the possibility after initially being opposed. “The City Council, I’m told, is gonna meet – I think it’s Aug. 6,” Ivey said. “They’ll finalize it. And will go from there.”

While the plan must prove itself financially viable, it appears residents of the Alabama’s port city will soon be able to travel by train to New Orleans and vice versa.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.