Amtrak The Mardi Gras Express (Mobile: airport, beach, train)

[Bayourat15]

How nice it will be for Amtrak to come back.I hope it aleivates some of the Interstate 10 traffic.

Last week I rode by water street and looks like survey companies were inspecting the area where the old CSX station was located before Hurricane Katrina wiped it out.

I myself would have found a way to connect the Old GM&O railroad station in the plans for the new Amtrak station. Future plans are also in the works to connect The new international Airport to a spur line.

[verve57]

The other stares are prepared for the train and once again Alabama lags behind. Is it really that difficult to build a platform? We claim we want tourism and we seem to be so lackadaisical about getting things in place to support more tourism.

[InlandWave]

Originally Posted by verve57

The other stares are prepared for the train and once again Alabama lags behind. Is it really that difficult to build a platform? We claim we want tourism and we seem to be so lackadaisical about getting things in place to support more tourism.

Pretty sure they already had a platform to work with, we don't

[Bayourat15]

I don't know why the city so far behind compared to other places. The Amtrak station and the Civic Center property are years behind. The Gulfcoast museum could be used for something else.

[InlandWave]

Originally Posted by Bayourat15

I don't know why the city so far behind compared to other places. The Amtrak station and the Civic Center property are years behind. The Gulfcoast museum could be used for something else.

Well both are being planned as we speak, it’s better to be patient and get it right the first time and not end up with another gulf quest project

And Gulf Quest can’t be used for anything else unless the city wants to pay back the 10’s of million in federal grants the city got to construct it specifically for a museum

[Bayourat15]

So...They can't use it for Mardi Gras balls?

[Southsky]

Originally Posted by InlandWave

Well both are being planned as we speak, it’s better to be patient and get it right the first time and not end up with another gulf quest project

And Gulf Quest can’t be used for anything else unless the city wants to pay back the 10’s of million in federal grants the city got to construct it specifically for a museum

GulfQuest was built with transportation funds to include a multimodal terminal. It most certainly can be used for a train terminal facility. The track logistics make that difficult, however.

[Southsky]

Originally Posted by InlandWave

Pretty sure they already had a platform to work with, we don't

This is true. Mobile, as the eastern terminating stop, needs to have a layover track constructed to meet the agreement made with the Port, CSX, and NS.

[stephenMM]

I remember back when the I-10 was built to alleviate traffic on other highways. If my memory can be trusted, there used to be a train called the Hummingbird Special which ran from Mobile to New Orleans. My family and I used to take it several times a year, and I still have fond memories of Pontchartrain Beach from half a century ago.

Having an Amtrak stop for Mobile is a big deal. It gives people an alternative to flying, or if you're really desperate, Greyhound, which is never a fun ride. When I moved from Tucson to Little Rock it was so convenient. Both cities have their stations downtown, and even though the trip took almost 2 days, you felt like you entered a time tunnel by simply stepping onto one train platform in one culture, and exiting into a completely different one.

Amtrak has none of the hassles and red tape that you get at airports. I paid for and printed my own ticket at home, never had to show an ID, no security checks (who high jacks a train? Where are you going to go other than where the train tracks lead?), a dining car, a cafe in the observation car that was basically all windows, and you could get a beer or a cocktail and enjoy the view w/ others. Very civilized.