Sun Herald, July 28, 2025

Amtrak’s new Mardi Gras Service rolls Aug. 18 between New Orleans and Mobile, bringing passengers to the attractions, shops and restaurants in cities along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. The return of passenger trains also brings an opportunity for South Mississippi residents to experience riding the rails to adventure in New Orleans and Mobile. Passengers will be able to hop aboard the train at Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis and ride to a Saints’ football game in New Orleans instead of fighting traffic on I-10 and paying for parking. Or they can take the kids to Mobile to explore old Fort Conde and the USS Alabama battleship, and oldest US submarine on public display.

“We’ve been working on this for years and years, and we’re so excited,” said Kelly Schulz, senior vice president of communications and PR for New Orleans & Company and Visit New Orleans. The return of Amtrak coincides with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005. “So to be able to say we’ve had this for the first time since then is pretty powerful,” she said. The name Mardi Gras Line automatically connects Mobile, New Orleans and the four stops in South Mississippi — Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis — where the traditions of Carnival are a beloved custom.

 

“Our goal is to have some of that festive Mardi Gras feeling on every trip, sharing the culture of the Gulf Coast region while connecting with the rest of the Amtrak network,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris.

All aboard to Mobile

Residents of South Mississippi may be more familiar with the fun that awaits in New Orleans than all the reasons to visit Mobile.

The new train platform is at 101 South Water Street, between the Mobile Convention Center and the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf, in the walkable downtown entertainment district. “There is so much to do within walking distance,” said Ashley Rains, senior public relations and communications manager for Visit Mobile. The district has more than 50 restaurants, “all of which are locally owned, a lot of them are chef-owned,” she said. She ticks off more things passengers can walk to: Multiple art galleries and shops, the hands-on Exploreum Science Center, the history museum, Mobile Carnival Museum and the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf.

 

The USS Alabama and submarines on the causeway are a 10 minute Uber ride away and MOB City Rides have friendly golf cart shuttles throughout the downtown for $5 per person, per ride. The Amtrak platform is only about 400 yards from the cruise terminal, Rains said, so Coast residents will have the option of riding the train to Mobile and leaving their vehicle at home while they are on a cruise.

Hotels and bed and breakfast inns are within walking distance for those who want an overnight getaway during Mardi Gras or stroll beneath the lights lights across Dauphin Street. Visit Mobile already promotes a VIP Attractions Pass that lets visitors get a discount on several attractions. Rains said Mobile is planning for Amtrak excursions, “We have several partners that are working on doing promotions, just like we do when we have our [Carnival Spirit] cruise ship in town,” she said.

Among the favorite activities for adults in Mobile, according to Trip Advisor, are down food tours, ghost tours and scavenger hunts.

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