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Amtrak Mardi Gras Line: The Inaugural Run
The new Mardi Gras line between New Orleans and Mobile was thirty years in the making, so every city on the route celebrated the inaugural run on August 16th - starting in the Crescent City.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Train Service Begins August 18, 2025
On July 1, a progressive series of press conferences moved across the coast of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, when Amtrak announced the start date of its long-awaited Mardi Gras train service between Mobile and New Orleans. Tickets for the first day sold out by late afternoon.
- photos by Scott Saltzman, Gregg Martel, Dena Temple, and Ellis Anderson
Amtrak’s New Orleans to Mobile Line: “We’re Not Giving Up”
Like The Little Engine That Could, it’s been a long and challenging climb for Amtrak supporters working to reestablish passenger service between Mobile and New Orleans. Now, its success – and the fate of a $178 million federal grant that’s tied to it – rests in the hands of the Mobile City Council.
– by Ellis Anderson