MOBILE, Ala. — The city of Mobile has taken umbrage at the idea that it is preventing the launch of Amtrak Gulf Coast service, as was suggested in last week’s Surface Transportation Board hearing on delays in launching that service.
The lack of a lease between Amtrak and the city for land needed for a station platform and layover track was one of the topics of discussion in the hearing, with STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman saying at one point, “If people really want to make a deal, it doesn’t take 15 months.” [See “STB members question Gulf Coast delays …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 15, 2024].
Following that hearing, a Facebook group has formed urging Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson to reach an agreement, WALA-TV reports. The group’s founder, Bryan Fuenmayor, told the station its goal is to “pressure them to finalize these negotiations.”
But city spokeswoman Candace Cooksey told the station, “To suggest that the Mobile land use agreement is the holdup to the return of Gulf Coast service would be a significant mischaracterization of the facts.”
She also said the land in question, currently a parking lot, is “an extremely valuable riverfront property that is of great importance to the citizens and the City of Mobile. We are working diligently with Amtrak to create an agreement that balances that ownership interest with providing Amtrak what they need to operate a passenger rail station at the location.”
Officials also questioned the timeline presented in the hearing, saying negotiations had not begun until after the Federal Railroad Administration awarded a $178 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvments grant in September 2023.
The city was invited to participate in the hearing but declined to do so, with Stimpson saying in a brief letter that once an agreement was reached, the city would be “more than happy to provide the board with a status update” [see “City of Mobile to skip STB hearing …,” News Wire, Feb. 8, 2024].
Not enough public information to know who is at fault. Maybe the STB can get the info. Extra pressure may need to be put on city of Mobile such as delaying the interior container approval,