Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Amtrak, Ala. reach rail agreement

Passenger rail service is closer to being restored between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., since a settlement letting Amtrak run on railroad companies' tracks linking the two cities. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern and the Alabama State Port Authority in Mobile told the U.S. Surface Transportation board on Nov. 21 that an agreement has been reached to support passenger and freight service on the same tracks in the Gulf Coast corridor, according to the Southern Rail Commission. CSX, the port and some industry representatives had expressed concerns that passenger service could threaten the economies of Alabama and Mississippi. Knox Ross, chair of the Southern Rail Commission, said the settlement indicates a bright future for passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere in the South. (NOLA.com 11/21/22) Passenger trains from New Orleans to Mobile could return | Traffic | nola.com Regional Note: The Alabama Port Authority had been vehemently against the arrangement.

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