Even though Atmore is Alabama’s rail welcome hub, the city will not be included in Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service restoration next month.
Nevertheless, local officials are adamant that the country’s passenger rail service return someday to a city that hosts an annual fall festival honoring its rail heritage more than any other in Alabama.
At a press conference held by Amtraka to announce the launch date, prices, and schedule for the new Amtrak Mardi Gras Service between Mobile and New Orleans, Atmore Mayor Shawn Lassiter, who entered office on June 1, stated, “We are fully supportive.”
He said, “We’ve been looking at it for years.” We don’t get it. We desire its return.
Port concerns
However, the Alabama State Port Authority, with backing from the Mobile City Council, is a strong force in Alabama that is obstructing the process.
In exchange for supporting Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast, the port, which is regarded as Mobile’s biggest economic engine, has set a limit on trains traveling north of downtown Mobile.
A three-year deal with Amtrak to fund the Mardi Gras Service’s inaugural operations was authorized by the Mobile City Council last year. The agreement includes a condition that gives the city the right to end it if service is extended beyond a route from Mobile to New Orleans.
All stakeholders involved in Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast should focus on enhancing the current train line, according to Maggie Oliver, spokesman for the Alabama Port Authority. This includes advancing agreements contained in a federal grant of $178 million given to Amtrak almost two years ago.
Many infrastructure projects along the existing service line still need to be finished, even if we acknowledge that there is greater regional interest in extending passenger rail across the Gulf Coast, Oliver added. Before considering a service that goes beyond Mobile, all parties should continue to concentrate on carrying out the grant at hand.
John Driscoll, the CEO of the Port Authority, has stated in recent years that he could only support a longer line if a further rail traffic study that examines the effects of passenger rail on port operations is conducted. Additional infrastructure that would be needed to support both freight and passenger trains should also be examined in the study.
No study of this kind has been conducted or seems to be underway.
The port has long been worried about Amtrak trains passing through the busy freight train traffic that enters and exits Siebert Yard on a regular basis, according to officials. The yard is located north of Mobile’s downtown and serves the Alabama State Docks as a significant freight train line.
Prior long-distance trains that traveled through Mobile and connected to Atmore did not cause any backups or issues at Siebert Yard, according to Jerry Gehman, the City of Atmore’s surface transportation director and a former member of the Southern Rail Commission.
Prior to service ceasing after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the route in 2005, the Sunset Limited was the final long-distance train to pass through Atmore, linking west to Mobile.
According to Gehman, it never caused any problems in the Port of Mobile. There has been no change.
Florida interest
Gehman said that there is interest in connecting the cities in the Florida Panhandle to Amtrak. This would likely entail a route from Atmore to Pensacola, then east to Tallahassee and Jacksonville.
Pensacola has submitted grant applications to help restore Amtrak. Letters endorsing the expansion of Amtrak service to Northwest Florida were signed by the counties of Walton and Olaloosa last year.
Lawmakers in the state of Florida also support it. This spring, legislation was filed to include Florida in the Southern Rail Commission. The Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama states are members of the commission, which was established in 1982 to promote passenger rail service.
Gehman stated that the Florida counties and cities are requesting that Amtrak restart service. It’s not only us. We require an alternative mode of transportation.
A new passenger line from Dallas/Fort Worth to Miami via New Orleans to Mobile and into Northwest Florida was mentioned in the Federal Railroad Administration’s map of potential routes worth looking into last year.
Along the Crescent line, which makes stops in Anniston, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa, Jacksonville was connected to Dallas/Fort Worth via Georgia and Alabama.
According to Gehman, Atmore, a population of roughly 8,300 people, is the only Alabaman city with a train stop that does not have passenger rail service. According to him, rerouting the highway east would help rural Alabama and give Atmore and Escambia County a new source of income.
Given that Atmore has one of the worst rates of poverty in Alabama, reinstating rail service might have a substantial economic impact on the area. At $33,104, its median household income is just little higher than half of the $62,027 state average.
According to Gehman, Atmore is the only actual stop in the state that is currently unserviced on Amtrak’s route. We argue that rural Alabama benefits from shifting it east.
Funding potential
When the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocated $66 billion for Amtrak a few years ago, under President Joe Biden’s administration, efforts to expand the route eastward gained impetus.
Even when Biden leaves office, the momentum might keep going. Earlier this month, the administration of President Donald Trump unveiled Amtrak’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which includes funding levels comparable to previous years. The budget plan defunds the Northeast Corridor from $1.14 billion to $850 million while increasing financing for Amtrak’s nationwide network from $1.29 billion to $1.58 billion.
Increasing the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program from $100 million in the previous fiscal year to $500 million is another aspect of the financial proposal. The $178 million enhancements along the Gulf Coast rail line, including $77 million considered essential to the Port Authority’s operations, are being funded under the same CRISI initiative.
Any attempt to relocate the train outside of downtown Mobile will need close coordination with the port, according to Southern Rail Commission chairman Knox Ross.
In 2021, Amtrak filed a case before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, naming the Port Authority as a party along with the two freight operators along the Gulf Coast route, CSX and Norfolk Southern. The Port Authority was adamantly against passenger trains being added to the route at the time.
In late 2022, all parties came to an accord.
Regarding the Port Authority’s reservations about riding the trains east of downtown Mobile, close to Cooper Riverside Park, Ross stated, “We respect their issues.” From Jacksonville back to the west, I believe Florida will be the driving force behind this eastward growth. That has piqued their interest.
It’s something worth carefully looking into in order to express the port’s requirements and desires, he continued.
Amtrak
-
Y all aboard, finally : See details on fares and date Amtrak Mardi Gras Service launches
-
Amtrak to announce fares, start date for Gulf Coast route Tuesday
-
Alabama officials unconcerned over Amtrak funding arrangement as project moves toward July start
-
Beads, brass, and boarding passes: Amtrak will launch festive Mardi Gras Service
-
Amtrak Gulf Coast route nears launch: Start date, fares coming soon
