Mardi Gras Service

The Mardi Gras Service is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak along the Gulf Coast of the United States. The service consists of two daily round trips between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula, Mississippi. Service began on August 18, 2025.

The Mardi Gras Service follows the same route as the Gulf Coast Limited, a daily train operated by Amtrak in 1984–1985, and again in 1996–1997. The corridor was also served by the long-distance Sunset Limited from 1993 to 2005.

The Mardi Gras Service operates over a 145-mile (233 km) route from New Orleans to Mobile, hugging the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of this route is owned by CSX Transportation (NO&M Subdivision), save a few miles around the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal and East City Junction, which are owned by Amtrak and the Norfolk Southern Railway, respectively. Both iterations of the Gulf Coast Limited operated over the same route as the Mardi Gras Service does today.

Amtrak offers bus service (via Greyhound / FlixBus) from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, connecting with the Mardi Gras Service.

Amtrak operated the Gulf Coast Limited along the Gulf Coast, halting in 1997 due to state funding issues. It also operated the Sunset Limited along the Gulf Coast until Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The hurricane destroyed major bridges and damaged 110 miles of track along Gulf Coast section of the route. Freight rail was restored five months after the hurricane, however, a lack of funding and opposition from freight rail companies prevented a restoration of passenger rail.

The Rail Passengers Association began lobbying for the route's return in 2010. The Southern Rail Commission began working on a proposal to restore service in 2014. In July 2017, the Gulf Coast Working Group of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) submitted a report to Congress recommending restoration of service on the New Orleans–Mobile corridor.

In June 2019, the FRA announced a grant award of $33 million to restore Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, and to upgrade tracks, stations, and other facilities to support improved passenger rail service. The grant was matched by funds from Louisiana, Mississippi, and the City of Mobile. Officials announced plans for up to four daytime rail trips per day within 24 months, serving the cities of New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Having received a commitment of support from Mobile, if the state of Alabama participates, service could be extended to downtown Mobile.

On February 23, 2021, following the conclusion of one year of negotiations with CSX and Norfolk Southern, Amtrak officials announced that Gulf Coast Service between New Orleans and Mobile would start as early as January 2022. Amtrak plans to pay for repairs along the route. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed on November 15, 2021, provided federal funding for the route. By late 2022, after lengthy negotiations with Norfolk Southern and CSX, Amtrak expected Gulf Coast service to begin sometime in 2024.