New train service a hit so far, adding more seats for Saints home games
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- Amtrak adds third car to Mardi Gras line, increasing capacity by 60 seats.
- Route sees 20,750 bookings since August launch, prompting expansion.
- Service aims to ease congestion and boost tourism along Gulf Coast cities.
For weeks, passengers on Amtrak’s new Mardi Gras line have asked officials when the train would add more seats for Saints fans traveling to New Orleans for home games. Starting this month, they’ll get them.
Amtrak is adding a third car to the train that runs between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, creating 60 more seats, according to Kay Kell, the Mississippi commissioner of the Southern Rail Commission.
The dates for home games at the Caesars Superdome, all of which fall on Sundays, include Oct. 5 and 26, Nov. 23, and Dec. 14 and 21. Tickets can be purchased on Amtrak’s website.
The latest addition reflects the line’s immediate popularity after it launched in August. In less than two months, the train has had 20,750 bookings, leaving its two cars regularly full and contributing to tourism in the region, Kell said, adding that its limited capacity is “a good problem to have.”
Kell said the Southern Rail Commission is considering other ways the new Amtrak train can help ease traffic congestion on Interstate 10 and within cities, particularly for local festivals like Cruisin’ the Coast. Rail advocates are also hoping to revive the New Orleans to Baton Rouge and north Louisiana routes.
Bringing the Mardi Gras route back to life, after it discontinued in 1996, was a yearslong effort carried by political leaders and civic boosters who argued the importance of connecting the cities.
The new service — with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula — marks a revival of New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast after Hurricane Katrina devastated both areas two decades ago.