(Aug. 21) The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is a big winner.
The train route between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, is a winner for Amtrak, a winner for New Orleans, a winner for Mobile, a winner for the Mississippi Coast, a winner for riders and a winner for public safety.
For safety, it’s a winner to the extent that it reduces the number of drivers on Interstate 10, which has become a haven for rude and dangerous motorists. It’s an obvious winner for all the places along the route because it surely will increase the number of visitors to and from each place, thus driving economic development and a spirit of community.
Those points need no complicated explanations. Accepting them as a given, then, let this column describe why the new passenger-rail service is such a winner for riders. To get a feel for the whole experience, I rode on both the ceremonial inaugural ride from Mobile to New Orleans on Aug. 16 and the initial public ride from New Orleans to Mobile on the early morning of Aug. 18.
To begin with, consider the logistics. The whole process of taking the train is remarkably easy (although I hope Mobile provides more protection from inclement weather, which right now is impermanent at its end). There are no complicated security hassles. There is plenty of time to board, and parking availability seems nearly adequate. Lifts for handicapped riders are available, although passengers with mobility issues should call ahead (yes, a real phone call) for arrangements.
And the prices, starting as low as $15 on some weekdays, are terrific….
Best of all, though, was a feature that was somewhat of a surprise. Namely, the wonderful scenery. Trains in this nation’s Northeast have a reputation for unappetizing vistas: junkyards, abandoned industrial sites, urban blight. Well, except for one section just east of New Orleans, that’s not the case with the Mardi Gras line. Instead, the view out the windows usually ranges from interesting to pleasant to absolutely lovely.
The stretch between Pascagoula and Mobile, for example, is lush, green, wooded and interspersed with streams. … The best part, though, is south of what we know as New Orleans East and then Slidell, in marshes stretching into Mississippi. The wetlands, spreading out for miles, are gorgeous. Waterfowl are plentiful, floating or skimming low across the waters and grasses. In places of open water, dolphins splash. And at the Rigolets, even more dramatically than from the (closed) U.S. 90 bridge, the sudden opening to the Gulf on one side with fishing skiffs in the shallows on the other, is wonderful…. [The full column is at this link.]
