Amtrak To Return To Mobile

Amtrak, freight operators and the Alabama State Port Authority have agreed to allow for passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast corridor, AL.com reported. The service will include the connection from New Orleans to Mobile, with four stops likely in coastal Mississippi, according to Knox Ross of the Southern Rail Commission. “This is a giant step forward in getting passenger rail back to Mobile,” he added. A joint statement from Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Alabama State Port Authority indicated that proceedings before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board would be halted before the board’s ruling, which had been scheduled for December 7. In the proceedings, it had been argued whether the freight companies that own the 120-mile-long line would be obligated to allow passenger service on it. Details are to be shared at the commission’s meeting in Mobile on December 9.