Rail advocates contend new Gulf Coast Amtrak service isn’t the Sunset Limited

Amtrak Mobile

Gulfport, Miss., residents welcome the Amtrak inspection train as it travels from New Orleans, La., to Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. A Federal Railroad Administration grant, awarded to the Southern Rail Commission on Friday, June 7, 2019, is expected to help revitalize coastal Amtrak service from New Orleans to Mobile. (file photo)

When the transcontinental Sunset Limited last operated three-days-a-week voyages along the Gulf Coast 14 years ago, on-time performances and ridership numbers were both poor and stops into Mobile were often made late in the night.

Southern rail advocates say the revived New Orleans-to-Mobile route will be nothing like the Sunset Limited service that was interrupted when Hurricane Katrina wrecked the rail line in 2005. In fact, they say the new passenger service will be a first-of-its kind for the Gulf Coast.

“If anyone states any comparison to the Sunset Limited, they either have no clue what they are talking about -- or they do know what they are talking about and are misinforming,” said Wiley Blankenship, president/CEO of the Coastal Alabama Partnership and an Alabama representative on the 21-member Southern Rail Commission.

“Sunset Limited is a long-distance train,” he said. “This is a regional train with a short distance and a few stops in Mississippi.”

‘Isn’t the old Sunset’

Memories of the Sunset Limited’s iffy performance appear to linger in the three states that are being asked to dole out dollars to match a $33 million federal grant to upgrade Gulf Coast rail lines in preparation for Amtrak’s return. According to the Southern Rail Commission, passenger rail could return to the coast within 24 months.

Mississippi, at slightly less than $15 million, and Louisiana, at around $10 million, have already dedicated resources for the project. Amtrak is also ponying up money as well.

Alabama remains the sole holdout; its portion of the cost would come to around $2.7 million.

Blankenship and Knox Ross, a Mississippi representative on the SRC, say that Alabama doesn’t have to give $2.7 million all at once. They said that the state can pay installments over the course of “three to four years.”

“What you get for that is four trains a day, and I think that is one of the really important elements,” said Ross. “This isn’t the old Sunset. This isn’t even the old Gulf Wind that ran during the 1990s for about nine months. This is more of a service of what we see is really useable.”

Ross, who has been on the SRC for about a decade, said he understands why some people, including public officials, remain skeptical about Amtrak’s return.

“It’s because most people in this part of the country haven’t ridden the train, and if they have, it’s the Crescent out of New Orleans, which may or may not be on time,” said Ross. “But this is a totally different service.”

‘Something unique’

Amtrak

The Excelsior Band plays as Mobile, Ala., residents welcome the Amtrak inspection train as it travels from New Orleans, La., to Bay St. Louis and eventually on to Florida on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. (file photo)

Indeed, the new Gulf rail is described as a “localized” service previously unseen in Alabama. Amtrak’s only connection in Alabama is the Crescent, which runs between New Orleans and New York, with stops in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Anniston.

“Amtrak has to listen to us because it’s contracted with us,” said Blankenship, describing the future New Orleans-to-Mobile route. “The Southern Rail Commission can dictate the type of beer served on the train. If we want Haint Blue or Serda’s or Abita or Big Beach Brewing or Fairhope Brewery … we can say, ‘We want these regional beers served on the train.’ If we want nothing but Gulf Coast cuisine sandwiches served, we are in that position. This is something that is unique.”

The route will have four Mississippi stops -- Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis – bookended by the two big cities. There will be four total trains running daily – one leaving from Mobile and New Orleans in the morning, and vice-versa in the evening.

While a ticket rate hasn’t been established, SRC chairman John Spain anticipates it being $25 to $29 each way.

Moreover, the train will make additional stops in a coordinated marketing effort with regional tourism bureaus. For instance, Ross said, Ocean Springs could be a drop-off point during popular events like the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival in November, or the eight-day Cruisin’ the Coast in October.

“We talked to Ocean Springs and Long Beach, and they probably have some of the premier festivals,” Ross said. “We couldn’t work out a permanent stop. But we could stop in on a Friday through Sunday and put in a system where we are marketing it. In this type of model we are giving the locals control of it, which I think makes a huge difference.”

Sherwood “Woody” Bailey, executive director with Cruisin’ the Coast, would be delighted with Amtrak unloading hundreds of visitors in Ocean Springs within walking distance of the car show dubbed “America’s Largest Block Party.” “It would be a real plus for us,” he said.

Ross compares the New Orleans-to-Mobile service with the Amtrak Downeaster, a route that connects Brunswick, Maine, with Boston’s North Station. The 145-mile service offers five daily round trips, each with 10 stops along the way.

The Downeaster is recognized for having good on-time performance rates, which the SRC covets with the Gulf Coast service. In 2017, 72 percent of the trains were considered on time to their final destination, ranking No. 14 among Amtrak’s routes.

With nearly 60% of ridership coming from Maine, that state spends about $2 million to cover the Downeaster’s $15 million operating costs. Ridership and revenue from ticket sales continues to increase year over year.

“It’s not like a traditional Amtrak-run train,” said Ross. “They have the people take care of you. The train becomes an extension of the communities. They do a really good job and are transparent with their operating costs.”

‘Absolutely doable’

In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey has balked at the $2.7 million Amtrak investment for the past year. Last year, she said she was concerned about the state shouldering another expense.

After the $33 million grant was announced Friday, the governor said that the state needs to have more talks with Mobile area officials about Amtrak’s impact on the freight activity at the Port of Mobile. In addition, she said, more analysis is needed on the long-term costs of restarting the service.

The costs could be minimized if they are spread out over three to four years, and the city or the county could be asked to foot some of the bill.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said he looks forward to learning more about the grant “and what it means for passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast.”

Mobile city government is the only public entity in Alabama that has invested into the project. The City Council, last year, approved a $125,000 contract with Mott McDonald for the design of a downtown train station.

City Council Vice President Levon Manzie, who represents downtown Mobile, said he believes the investment makes sense because without it, “it puts us at a disadvantage with Mississippi and Louisiana.”

At $2.7 million, the Amtrak payment would be less than what Mobile and Mobile County both recently agreed to spend to keep the 13th Judicial Circuit financed for the next three years. At $3 million, the latter investment is aimed to cover a cost that is typically handled by state government.

“It’s absolutely doable,” Manzie said about the Amtrak expense. “We have to make certain things priorities. We are in budget season right now where resources could potentially be found.”

The concerns in Alabama might not be based primarily on finances. Ivey, in her comments, was wary of the rail service’s effects on the State Docks.

Alabama, through 10 cent per gallon fuel tax increase that begins after Aug. 31, is spending $150 million to support a ship channel dredge project in Mobile Bay. The project, once completed, is expected to make Mobile’s port more competitive with other shipping ports in luring larger vessels.

Jimmy Lyons, the port’s CEO, has opposed Amtrak’s return, citing potential interference with freight operators that use the rail line. A port representative declined comment on Friday.

Blankenship said that the SRC and the port ought to be able to find a solution.

“I’m trying to look at a way to do this in a way to eliminate any impacts to the port,” said Blankenship. “That’s what we are discussing right now.”

‘Be patient’

In Mississippi, similar concerns surfaced over what kind of impact a return of Amtrak would have on a development at the 3,600-acre Port Bienville Industrial Park.

Gov. Phil Bryant, like Ivey, initially held off on dedicating state resources for the project. But once the Port of Bienville project reportedly didn’t materialize, Bryant and other state officials came on board.

“He had issued statements that he was supportive of our project, and we never got into it where anyone made public statements against it,” Ross said. “We just let it play out and that’s we have found out through this whole process as we continue to work through it. Just to be patient.”

He added, “I’m fully convinced we’ll get there in Alabama, too.”

Ross said that Bryant has pledged “any and all necessary funds” to the project. A Bryant spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

“That could come from legislative action or bonding or BP (settlement) money. Or there are five or six different pots of money that come to the coastal areas that are used for economic development and coastal restoration,” said Ross.

Similar pots of money exist for Alabama as well.

“It’s important for the train to get to Mobile,” said Ross. “That’s a critical piece of the puzzle.”

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