Since Mardi Gras rail service began running in August of 2025, it’s been a resounding success for Amtrak according to Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission Knox Ross. That could bode well for a potential expansion of the service to eventually include Baton Rouge. “Amtrak's estimate for the first year was 71,000 riders. This year, we’ve hit 74,000 riders in only six months,” Ross emphasized.
Currently, the train service operates twice daily between the New Orleans Passenger Terminal and Mobile, Alabama with stops included in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Riders are encouraged to experience the food, bars, and culture each stop has to offer while safely getting from place to place. Ross says the continued growth of ridership on the Mardi Gras rail service could help to bring trains deeper into Louisiana, offering the regional experience to a whole new ridership.
“The state of Louisiana, through the DOTD, is in the process of studying the Baton Rouge to New Orleans service through a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. The success of this (Mardi Gras) service bodes well for that. I think it would be a great compliment to this service to be able to add a Baton Rouge to Mobile, Alabama corridor,” the Railroad Commissioner notes. He says with Mardi Gras rail service drawing roughly double the ridership that was projected last year, the future looks bright for possible expansion.
Knox hopes the cross-pollination of people and cultures will lead to a greater sense of community for those who live in the region as well. “You can take a nice day trip back and forth. You don’t have to worry about driving or having that extra glass of wine. A lot of people are coming out from New Orleans to Bay St. Louis. They’ve got a golf cart operation that’ll pick you up at the station, you can check out the hotel downtown, see what’s there, then come back home on the train. You don’t have to worry about parking your car or any of that stuff,” he adds. “It’s got the highest customer satisfaction of any Amtrak train in the country and it just hits a sweet spot in what people want to do. More and more people are taking trips to the Missisippi Coast and Mobile. They’re discovering places they may not have known about or might have had a different idea about,” Knox went on to point out.