Train Stop For Mobile Considered

The construction of a train stop, and a track leading to it in Downtown Mobile, is the final infrastructure issue that needs to be addressed before Amtrak can restart passenger trains along the Gulf Coast for the first time in 18 years, officials say. According to AL.com, Amtrak officials and Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s administration met last week to discuss what a train stop or train station could look like adjacent to Cooper Riverside Park at the foot of Water and Government streets. The city’s attorneys and real estate officials are working with Amtrak to analyze the train stop site and determine a lease agreement. Though no decisions have been made, the anticipation is for Amtrak to restart along the route before the end of the year. A federal grant indicated that the route needs a total of $225 million in capital projects for the twice-daily operation between Mobile and New Orleans to operate on a schedule of 3 hours, 23 minutes between the two cities. The service also includes four stops in Mississippi.