The agreement is forged for Amtrak to run from New Orleans to Mobile starting in 2023, and now there is talk that passenger trains could continue on from South Mississippi to Orlando and Miami.
A map outlining possible new service — revealed at a public meeting of the Amtrak board of directors Dec. 1 — shows Amtrak extending across the Florida panhandle again from Pensacola through Tallahassee and to Jacksonville on the East Coast.
By opening the panhandle route again, passengers could ride Amtrak from the Coast to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, The Villages and other locations served by Amtrak.
Amtrak has about 20 train stations, mostly on the East Coast. Tampa is the only city near the Gulf of Mexico with a station.
Passenger trains haven’t operated between Jacksonville and New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Amtrak board meeting came days after an agreement was announced between Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway Company and the Port of Mobile that will allow freight trains and passenger trains to share the tracks on the Gulf Coast Corridor.
Stations in South Mississippi are being renovated ahead of the return of Amtrak, with stops planned at Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.
‘Big time’ interest in Florida
The map released by the Amtrak board shows areas where interest has been expressed in restoring or creating new passenger trains nationwide.
Mayors and city councils in Pensacola, Tallahassee and Lake City, along with people in those areas, have shown “big time” interest in restoring the service, said James Tilley, president of the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers.
“It won’t take much to get the trains from Mobile to Pensacola,” he said.
“Some of the stations need to be either repaired or replaced, he said. The tracks eventually would need an upgrade for speeds higher than 45 mph on the current tracks.
CSX sold the route after Katrina to Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, Tilley said, which since has come under control of an investment company, he said, and is under new management.
The route covers 373 miles of track from Pensacola to Baldwin, Florida, just west of Jacksonville.
Coast benefits from Florida boom
The U.S. has grown by nearly 130 million people in the 50 years since Amtrak began operations, according to the presentation at the meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.
Much of that population growth has been concentrated in cities and “mega regions” in the Sunbelt and West, the report says, where Amtrak has limited service.
“Texas and Florida, the nation’s second and third most populous states, have a combined population of just over 50 million, but each is served by just six Amtrak trains, some of which do not even operate every day,” the report said.
Since Mississippi lies between these two states, enhanced Amtrak service would bring visitors to Coast casinos and attractions and allow local residents to hop the train to Orlando attractions and bypass the heavy traffic in Houston.
How soon could Amtrak come to FL panhandle?
This isn’t the first time officials have proposed restoring service across the panhandle. In 2012, more than 40 mayors met with Amtrak in Mobile to try to get the trains rolling again.
Traffic has increased on Interstate 10 and other highways in the Southeast over those 10 years and consumers are more environmentally conscious.
The biggest difference over the decade is federal funding now is available, with billions being earmarked for train service nationwide, with $66 billion provided in 2021 for Amtrak and infrastructure funding.
The challenge will be to get residents to forgo driving and ride the trains.
Before Hurricane Katrina, Amtrak’s Sunset Ltd. operated just three times a week, providing direct service from the East Coast to the West Coast, according to Grist.
Service across the panhandle was mostly at night, and train schedules were typically inconsistent in South Mississippi, leading to low ridership.
The route was “suspended” but not abandoned after Katrina.
Bring out the bands
In February 2016, officials and dignitaries traveled on an Amtrak train from New Orleans to Mobile and into Florida in a two-day trip designed to gauge interest in restoring passenger service along the northern Gulf.
They were met at cities along the way with bands, crowds and cheers.
The Amtrak board said in its report that younger generations of Americans tend to travel more and want the options of trains and older generations are less comfortable about driving.
In Florida, the state transportation department has held workshops across the state to discuss the return of Amtrak and the Florida Legislature will soon reconvene and possibly will spur action to bring back Amtrak.
Restoring service is expensive and won’t be covered entirely by the federal government.
Southern Rail Commission has requested $179 million in federal money to help pay for a Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project to return service between New Orleans and Mobile, according to a report in Mississippi Today.
The application would require an additional $44 million in non-federal matching funds from partner states and organizations.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 10:52 AM.
Mary Perez has won awards for her business and casino articles for the Sun Herald. She also writes about Biloxi, jobs and the new restaurants and development coming to the Coast. She is a fourth-generation journalist.
