MOBILE, Ala. — Amtrak expects to begin operating passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., sometime in 2023, but virtually all other details of the operation remain undisclosed after a meeting of the Southern Rail Commission, the Al.com news site reports.
The commission held its quarterly meeting Friday in Mobile.
The news site notes that still to be answered, along with an exact start date, are the costs to restart the service; necessary investments; fares; and other details of the agreement between Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority.
“Unfortunately, we all signed agreements and I know this is frustrating,” Knox Ross, the commission chairman, told Al.com. “… All parties are reasonably happy with the solution. We’ve worked hard, all parties, to make this a win-win for the port, host railroads and the traveling public.”
The parties announced in November they had reached a settlement on Gulf Coast service, just ahead of the scheduled date for final hearings before the Surface Transportation Board and an STB vote to decide the issue [see “Amtrak, freight railroads say they have a deal …,” News Wire, Nov. 22, 2022]. But they have not released any other details, citing the “confidential nature” of the agreement, and told the STB in a filing that it would take several months to complete the deal’s details.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told WALA-TV that the passenger railroad would cover the costs of creating a temporary station in Mobile, likely at the site of the former Mobile station, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Sometime in 2023 delayed to sometime in 2024 due to lack of crews and equipment.
They all signed agreements to say nothing? Not possible for public agencies to sign confidential agreements. They arent the DOD.
Local TV or newspaper needs to get a FOIA going on this one.
Agreed! And/or hire a good hacker. I still don’t understand why all the secrecy around this whole deal.
Hope that the design of a per,amemt station is built to at least withstand a CAT 4 hurricane. Did a storm surge wash away the old Mobile station? If so the new statin should be built on stilts. If so that will require a couple elevators and an esculator.
The old L&N/CSX station once used by Amtrak was damaged by around three feet of flooding during Katrina and was subsequently demolished. The site is now a city owned parking lot but the concrete passenger platform is still there. It would make a good site for a new station but would as you say need to be raised. I suspect the station that Amtrak is proposing to build would be more of the “Amshack” type and wouldn’t be worth the expense of reinforcement for storms. Mobile city/county, have up till now not put much thought and no expense into a station. There has been some talk of any new station being located near the site of the new Mobile airport about three miles west of downtown. But our local and state governments have been mostly cool or cold to the prospect of the new trains so whatever temporary station Amtrak builds will probably become permanent. But first let’s see if the trains ever run and if they do for how long without Alabama’s share of the funding. I seriously doubt Amtrak will ever be able to squeeze any money out of our state legislature or Governor Ivey. She’s already made it clear she’s anti-Amtrak and has vowed not to spend one penny of taxpayers money for new train service.
I wonder how much taxpayer money CSX and NS will have shaken down from government in this hostage case running back to Katrina in 2005?
Guess we will find out how big a piece of the $2.4 billion grant fund that FRA gets to dole out this FY as part of the Infrastructure Package for intercity rail will go to this project/CSX & NS. FRA announced grant apps open. Northeast Corridor gets a separate fund.
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Assuming Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service and Chicago Union Station/Area will be getting lion share of the pot followed by maybe Virginia/DC improvements (thinking Potomac River 2nd bridge if it is not fully funded) & California Del Mar tunnel project (California committed a chunk to get route/engineering done) with a sprinkling of study grants. The other thought is FRA will also through some money at new Baton Rogue proposed service. Thus putting a big share of the grant money into Chicago & New Orleans and therefore big winners for CSX, NS and CP/KCS under the guise of new Amtrak service.