AL: Y’all aboard, ‘finally’: See details on fares and date Amtrak Mardi Gras Service launches

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service will begin on Aug. 18, with fares starting at $15 for a one-way trip to New Orleans, officials closely aligned with the long-planned project announced Tuesday.

“One word we can use to describe how we feel today, and that’s ‘finally,’” said Amtrak Vice President Nicole Bucich, in Mobile for a news conference Tuesday announcing the train’s start date, schedule and fares.

The Amtrak route connecting Mobile to New Orleans with four stops in coastal Mississippi has been in various stages of planning, litigation, and negotiations for more than a decade. The final hurdle includes finishing a train stop in downtown Mobile at the foot of Government Street, which is expected to be completed soon.

“In the last 12 years, this has created more conversation and has taken the longest to get done than anything else,” said Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. “It’s been vetted from all angles.

The train’s commencement will take place just days before the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the powerful storm that devastated the Gulf Coast and damaged the rail line. An Amtrak train has not operated routinely along the coastal area since then.

Bucich said the timing near the storm’s anniversary was coincidental, though the hurricane’s history will likely serve as an emotional backstory to the train’s inaugural guest-only trip scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16.

Hurricane Katrina, which struck in late August 2005, had its most devastating impacts on both coastal Mississippi and New Orleans, leaving thousands of people homeless. In New Orleans, the failure of levees led to catastrophic flooding that left a majority of the city submerged, thousands dead, and led to one of the most complex disaster recovery efforts in U.S. history.

“We had to wait for all of the construction to get done,” Bucich said about the train’s starting date. “There are a lot of steps. There are a lot of requirements by the Federal Railroad Administration, inspection safety elements on all of this. It just all came together on this date. This is the first date we could start this service.”

Here are some important details about the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service. The train was officially named in April after the pre-Lenten holiday that is celebrated throughout the Gulf Coast. Mobile claims to be the holiday’s birthplace, while New Orleans is universally recognized as a destination for Mardi Gras celebrations nationwide.

Start date

The official start date for Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is Monday, Aug. 18. Amtrak plans to celebrate the start of the service with an inaugural train that will operate on Aug. 16, inviting public officials and others to thank them for working to bring the service back to the region. A schedule about that event will be released later this month.

Fares

Adult coach fares from Mobile to New Orleans start at $15 each way, less for shorter distances. There are everyday discounts for children ages 2-12, students, seniors, veterans, military personnel and families, small groups, large groups and others.

Marc Magliari, an Amtrak spokesperson, said the fares are competitive with similar state-supported, short-distance routes in the U.S. He said the 90-mile Chicago-to- Milwaukee route has fares starting at $20 each way.

“I think the pricing is very fair,” Stimpson said. “I think for $15, that sounded fair to me.”

Schedule

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service will depart from the Mobile depot twice daily, and return twice a day.

The westbound departures aboard Train 23 are set at 6:30 a.m. daily. There will be stops at the following locations: 7:13 a.m. in Pascagoula, 7:45 a.m. in Biloxi, 8:11 a.m. in Gulfport, 8:42 a.m. in Bay St. Louis, and 10:30 a.m. in New Orleans.

The westbound departures aboard Train 25 are set at 4:30 p.m. daily. There will be stops at 5:13 p.m. in Pascagoula, 5:48 p.m. in Biloxi, 6:11 p.m. in Gulfport, 6:42 p.m. in Bay St. Louis and 8:13 p.m. in New Orleans.

Eastbound departures from New Orleans Union Terminal to Mobile aboard Train 24 are as follows: 7:35 a.m. from New Orleans, 8:59 a.m. in Bay St. Louis, 9:31 a.m. in Gulfport, 9:55 a.m. in Biloxi, 10:29 a.m. in Pascagoula, and 11:18 a.m. in Mobile.

Eastbound departures from New Orleans Union Terminal to Mobile aboard Train 26 are as follows: 5:31 p.m. from New Orleans, 7 p.m. in Bay St. Louis, 7:32 p.m. in Gulfport, 7:56 p.m. in Biloxi, 8:28 p.m. in Pascagoula, and 9:14 p.m. in Mobile.

Amtrak does not have a provision in place for changing the hours. Magliari said the “schedule is the schedule” when asked if train scheduling may be altered to accommodate festivals or football games.

Said Bucich, “running a special train or adjusting is something we’d have to work on in the future.”

Train size

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service includes three cars and two locomotives. Seating capacity is 135, with the ability to add more. The Amtrak train will offer Coach and Business class services in addition to Café service.

The train features reclining seats, ample legroom, no middle seats, free WiFi, and a “generous carry-on baggage allowance.” Space is reserved in advance for golf bags and pets that are in carriers and within appropriate weight limits.

Café

The café menu features the typical fare – hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and sausage and egg bagels.

But it also has cuisine choices aligned to the Gulf Coast. The menu includes an $8 Muffuletta sandwich, and snacks like Pralines and Moon Pies. Pralines are a popular confection in New Orleans, while Moon Pies are a popular Mardi Gras throw during parades in Mobile.

The beer menu includes New Orleans-based Abita Amber Lager and Chandeleur Lil’ Smack IPA.

Chandeleur Island Brewing Company is based in Gulfport. The brewery also is opening a location inside the historic train station in Pascagoula.

Long-distance connections

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service guests can have same-day connections to longer distance trains from New Orleans’ Union Terminal.

That includes the City of New Orleans train between New Orleans and Chicago via Jackson, Miss., and Memphis. In addition, there is a next-day connection in New Orleans to the Amtrak Crescent trains to and from New York and Atlanta, which traverse through Alabama with stops in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Anniston. The Amtrak Sunset Limited train is also serviced from New Orleans, connecting the city to Los Angeles via Tucson, San Antonio and Houston.

Amtrak Guest Rewards

Through Nov. 18, Amtrak Guest Rewards members can earn triple points on Amtrak Mardi Gras Service travel. To qualify, a member must complete three qualifying trips on the service during the three-month promotional period. Once the threshold is met, three-times the points will be awarded retroactively for those trips and for all additional qualifying trips taken through Nov. 18. Further details are on Amtrak.com.

Mobile promotions

Visit Mobile President & CEO David Clark said he anticipates brochures advertising things to do in the Mobile area will be available at the train depot or on board the train. He said there will be QR codes, greeters, and other features advertising the city to train users.

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