MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile’s city council will vote Dec. 31 whether to make a financial commitment to efforts to restore Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast, AL.com reports.
The money, which under varying estimates could be $2 million to $3 million for three years, would match a federal grant to offset a portion of operating costs for the proposed service between New Orleans and Mobile. [See “Federal grant for operations advances efforts to restore Amtrak service to Gulf Coast,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 30, 2019.]
While the city needs to make a decision before a Jan. 6 deadline to commit matching funds, the actual money would not be required before 2023, the projected start date of the service.
City Council President Levon Manzie told the news site that while the city’s financial responsibility remains a concern, he considers it “untenable” that Mobile could not be included on the route: “We need to be a part of this service.”
Mobile’s decision is independent of other money — at least $2.2 million — needed from an Alabama source to fund capital improvements before the service begins. Gov. Kay Ivie and Jimmy Lyons, CEO of the Alabama State Port Authority, have balked at supporting the potential passenger service on the grounds it could interfere with traffic at the Port of Mobile.
I think the idea after Amtrak started was that it would disappear in a few years. Unfortunately for some, it kept on going, nearly a half century, despite the best efforts to kill it.
I’ve lived in the Mobile area all my life and my father was a locomotive engineer for L&N/CSX for 40 years so I’m fairly familiar with the railroads and politics around here. First the idea that passenger trains would adversely affect the State Docks rail traffic is a joke. And Lyons knows it. But he’s a far right conservative and as such does not want one penny spent on Amtrak, even if it’s a relatively small amount. But lots of folks around here are buying into his rhetoric. The local government in Mobile while mostly for renewed Amtrak service, seems to be buying Lyons story. And second there’s Gov. Ivie. She’s hard right wing and marches lock step with the Republican agenda. She’s already voiced her opinion that Amtrak would be a waste of money and I don’t suspect she will change her mind. So as much as I’d love to see Amtrak make a comeback in Mobile I’m not holding my breath. At least not until a more liberal government is elected here in Alabama. Again don’t hold your breath on that one either.
Mr. Ash, the highways and air services are subsidized (I doubt that the air services are actually subsidized to any great extent) because those are the transportation modes that people use. When you are only hauling less than 1/2 of 1% of the traveling public (and the majority of them in the corridors) why do you deserve a subsidy? The people of Alabama would do well to reject this financial sinkhole.
For those who think for some reason that rail transportation is civilized, I don’t think you actually ride Amtrak trains. Recently my wife and I rode 4 trains on an Amtrak round trip, 2 in each direction. Of the four, three were late. On one, an Acela, people with reservations had to stand. Because the trains are so crowded in the NEC a reservation does not guarantee a seat. Rather than spend millions on this foolish Gulf Coast boondoggle the money should be spent on providing better service in the NEC which is already Amtrak’s best service.
This country has lost its vision for passenger rail. It subsidizes highways and air service without a thought. Tell the right wingers down there, that any air service they see or use would disappear without federal and state subsidize.
The Governor’s last name is spelled “I V Y”, just like the plant.
Is the proposal to restore the NOLA-JAX section of the SUNSET LMTD? I believe a better idea would be to start a shorter New Orleans-Pensacola regional service similar to Illinois started between Carbondale and Chicago. Begin with a train that runs PNSCL-NOLA mornings and NOLA-PSCL evenings. As interest and rider grows, follow with a train that runs NOLA-PNSCL mornings and PNSCL-NOLA evenings.
Anna, I’m glad to read you’re still a serving as an attorney and not selling snowmobiles.
You know a location by the airport might be for the best for now as long as it is a through station as in the future a more fitting downtown Mobile station could be built.
Conceptually, it might fit best on the northwest side of the convention center right up against the building structure with a large landscaped cap-park built over the at-grade Water Street-highway in front of the convention center. Then passengers could arrive in the shade and proceed up to the cap-park to walk across the really too large street to the hotels nearby. This could be a two-track through station whose lead track then proceeds north to tie into the old GM&O depot where bus transfers would be made, providing a completely separate link past the worst of the port congestion. All that is a needed is a final short link north of the industries to tie back over to CSX. This would also give Mobile three convenient stations on a delay free link for commuter rail.
Interfere with traffic at the Port of Mobile, that is about as lame as it gets for excuses. I wonder if Jimmy Lyons was smiling when he made that statement. BS all the way.
WOW! Interfere with traffic at the Port, Amtrak must be planning on running hourly service. LOL
Charles:
Regarding my travels. I qualified for the Million Mile Club a goodly time ago. Amazingly enough, I did almost all of it at other peoples’ expense. And then they paid me for it.
I fit every criterion except for gender for membership in this organization: https://www.thetravellersclub.org.uk/
These people however are very happy to have me and I have been a member for years: https://www.vsc.co.uk/ .
It’s almost a second home.
The above comments are genetic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. If nominated I shall run to Mexico. If elected I shall fight extradition.
ANNA – You sure do get around, don’t you? Jacksonville? Like wow. I’d like to see the list of airports you abhor. My least favorite (of the few I use) is DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I abhor it, just that it’s a pain in the rear end and not very attractive.
The issue here is that the proposed train will require capital and operating subsidies from state local and federal governments, along with (likely) CSX providing track space below cost. When Amtrak was just gearing up 1971 and into the 1980’s, well, we rail advocates will say, give it time, Amtrak will get better and bigger and these costs will smooth out. Actually it’s all gone in the opposite direction.
This I would love to see. You can add to the list of airports I abhore Jacksonville. I would love to be able to ride the Sunset Limited again.
Mister Landey:
I always try to schedule through MSP for one reason and one reason only: Ike’s.
Mister Landey:
I fly for business but I am not required to like it. Air travel once was actually decent but no more. These days, even in First Class (I always try) it is a disgusting experience I wish on no decent human. We shall not discuss Cattle Class, nor the many airport concourses I have seen which would take the pen of a Schiller or a Goethe to have justice done.
This is why I like Victoria Station. If they are expecting you the Grosvenor Hotel (which has a private entrance into Victoria Station) will meet you at the train and spirit you away, food, libation, bath, and bed awaiting. They have gathered up the wreckage pursuant to the Plane Ride From Heck innumerable times, guided me gently away, and have provided a gloriously soft bed for the well-known twelve hour crash. Chambermaids have their uses, as does room service.
I never fly, unless unavoidable, while in Europe. I always use the rail system. It is fast, efficient, and comfortable.
Unfortunately the poor benighted Colonials in the Western Hemisphere have no such equivalent. Pity, that …
The above comments are genetic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. So get on it and do it every day for Morse Science High.
ANNA – You hate to fly and you love LD trains? Well, that was my wife until I finally talked her onto an airplane, literally for the first time since I’ve known her. We flew round trip to Boston (my birthplace). She loved it. She finally figured out why her husband is so enamored of air travel.
Mister Rice:
I just plain don’t like the place, especially in August when, when you step off the plane the humidity hits you in the face like the hit kiss at the end of a wet fist.
It isn’t the worst airport I have been in. That would be probably either Cairo or Kiev.
But back to the Sunset Limited. I tend to view air travel as an abomination straight from the Tenth Circle of [censored], and according to Dante Alighiere there are but nine. In a way the grounding of the Boeing 737MAX is a good thing because people are (re)discovering long-distance rail travel and if properly played this could be a glorious boon for Amtrak.
Before Hurricane Katrina came through (what? fifteen years ago?) it was an extremely pleasant trip to book a Superliner bedroom all to myself to Orlando, pick up the puddle jumper to St Maartin, and take refuge at the Hotel Esplanade there (highly recommended, by the way). A couple of weeks there will do the soul of anyone good, and you can blame it on the rum. Last time I did that trip it was in the back of a Gulfstream … fast, but somehow just not the same.
In New Orleans there are a couple of places I hold in high regard including some restaurants (back in the bad old days) which would meet the train with some glorious takeout/delivery the like of which is generally found only in places like Elysium. I miss those days.
This effort to reinstitute Gulf rail service I view as a step forward to reinstating civilized travel in North America. Ya gotta start somewhere.
The above comments are genetic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. And I have a kick-butt recipe for mulligan stew.
JOHN – Pardon me for showing my age – I remember when the first two Amshacks were Cincinnati and Jacksonville. A writer in TRAINS-MAG said of the Jacksonville Amshack that ” … it didn’t seem to correspond with a city of that name”.
@Anna Harding: Having flown in and out of JAX many times, whats the beef?
You would rather get dropped off in that Amshack north of downtown where even Uber/Lyft may not come?