MOBILE, Ala. — The Mobile City Council has pledged its financial support to returning Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast, voting 6-1 to support the Southern Rail Commission’s grant application for the New Orleans-Mobile service, WKRG-TV reports. With the vote, the council pledges up to $3 million toward operating expenses over the first three years the train operates. Service is projected to begin in 2023. Mobile becomes the first government entity in Alabama to support the effort, which has already received significant commitments in Mississippi and Louisiana. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has so far declined to support the project, citing concerns over interference with operations of the Port of Mobile. [See “Mobile city council to vote on financial support for proposed Gulf Coast Amtrak service,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 18, 2019.]
Kay is just being what her GOP handlers are telling her to be – a TRAIN HATER!!!
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has so far declined to support the project, citing concerns over interference with operations of the Port of Mobile.
Say what? Does she mean one or two trains each way daily is going to tie up port operations? Wow! If congestion is that bad, maybe the state needs to invest in a better design for the project. That sounds like an excuse for inaction.
By the way, Richard Shivik, why do you need to define this as some sort of political conspiracy? I am a Republican and know many Republicans and we are not “train haters”, at least not to any greater extent than Americans generally. People of all stripes seem to favor highways and aviation. Perhaps that’s because railroading has made itself somewhat invisible to the public consciousness except where it ties up road crossings or when some spectacular event like an oil train derailment takes place. In most cases, trains have become bland look-a-likes with only the head end for color. Passenger trains and freight cars used to be rolling billboards. That has gone away. To the extent that politicians are to blame, let’s put the blame where it belongs on specific individuals and leave it at that.
I agree Mr. Landey about the NEC’s free ride. I also wonder how any “national” system cannot serve Nashville, Tennessee and Louisville. Kentucky for over 40 years?! This same national system requires a trip via Washington DC to visit Florida from my neighboring state of Alabama! 49 years hasn’t given us much.
GALEN – Good post and I see your point.
Here’s another subsidy for you, one I see as more egregious than all the others you mention: “navigable” waters whose maritime traffic is pleasure boating. Who pays for those lift bridges? (Very expensive in the tripartite forms of building, operating, and maintaining.) Who pays? The railroads and the roads.
That’s a transfer of money to the wealthy and the upper middle class, from everyone else.
I have nothing against pleasure boating. Just let them pay for the service they use.
We have the passenger rail system we have because the various Govt entities (state, Fed, etc) do not view it as they do aviation and Hwys as a “Partnership” Amtrak’s is viewed as a “subsidy”. Despite the fact that tens of billions of dollars every year are transferred from the General Fund to the Hwy Trust Fund to keep it solvent since 2008 plus all the funding that goes unmentioned to aviation and even maritime purposes. It’s surprising that the freight rail industry has survived this long while their competition is largely subsidized by the taxpayer. Both passenger and freight rail may pass into oblivion due to the governments developing and enabling of its competition.
I am pleasantly surprised as I was sure there was no way the council here in Mobile would vote yes for the train. It gives me some hope that the local government looked past the negative propaganda that has been levied against the return of rail passenger service on the coast. I’m going to try really hard to be optimistic with the prospects of State support.
This is plus or minus the fourth go around on this forum on the City of Mobile issue. I still have gotten no real answer to the point I raised each prior time. Why is a city in Alabama being shaken down for a train when cities up and down NEC get far better rail service without having to pay.
If I were on the Mobile city council I ask for a list of every Amtrak stop in all the various states and demand an accounting how much they pay.
I understand the City of Mobile seems to be taking the hit for the State of Alabama here. If the state won’t pony up the city has to. Whatever. It’s still a shakedown.
Train by train, line by line, year by year, Amtrak is falling apart. What started as a national railroad has become a balkanized system where subsidies are demanded at the federal, state and local levels. Those along with the hidden subsidies of states and localities paying for stations and other infrastructure. What started forty-nine years ago as an attempt at a rationalized national system has instead become a paper corporation fielding a web site for services that in effect are local responsibilities.
This proves, if marketed properly, people want passenger service. I have faith in everybody involved except Amtrak. I recall Alabama’s prior Amtrak service, The Gulf Breeze. It began with 2 coaches, a lounge and sleeper (NYC MOB). Yet, Amtrak quickly proved it had little interest in the train. In the end the train was down to a coach and a lounge. Amtrak wanted twice the state subsidy for three day service. Alabama said no and rightly so.
Yah
Thank you Mobile City Council.
Knowing that was a difficult decision for you 7 members to reach but it shows your belief in the return of passenger rail service to your fine city and numerous others. Thank you so much for looking to the future for Mobile, Alabama, and hopefully, more groups will join together and work toward providing passenger rail service to many of us without the option. Looking forward to the convenience of riding this route again. New Orleans and Mobile are both excellent cities for conventions, commerce and tourism.