U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker testified before the federal Surface Transportation Board Tuesday and told them that increasing population on the Mississippi Gulf Coast means the restoration of rail service would be more beneficial than ever.
“Restoration of this vital service is long overdue,” Wicker said. “Resumption of the service after 16 years would mark the completion of a recovery from one of the strongest storms on record. It would also support future economic growth.”
The federal regulatory body that governs railroads is conducting a public comment period on Tuesday and Wednesday before a March 9 hearing when it will make its decision on whether to allow Amtrak to start a new twice-daily service between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans
Wicker also said that he was supportive of freight rail and was aware of the concerns raised by two railroads that operate in the region, CSX and Norfolk Southern, which say their freight operations will be negatively impacted without large infrastructure investments along the route. The Alabama State Ports Authority also is opposed to the project for the same reason.
“I see restoration of passenger rail as an improvement, not an impairment,” Wicker said. “I believe the Gulf Coast rail corridor can accommodate passenger rail service.”
Amit Bose is the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration for the U.S. Department of Transportation. He said that the Surface Transportation Board needed to continue to require freight railroads to provide use of their track for passenger rail service as required by federal law.
“The outcome of this proceeding will be pivotal to the future development of inner-city passenger rail in this country,” Bose said. “The Gulf Coast has been without passenger rail service for nearly two decades and in this case, service delayed is service denied.”
All three opposing parties say they have no objections to the service if the route is expanded with sidings and other new infrastructure to ensure that passenger and freight trains don’t interfere with each other’s operations.
One problem is that the two railroads and the port in Mobile say that Amtrak scrapped a 2020 study into whether the service would affect freight rail operations on the single-track CSX corridor in January 2021. The study was also designed to model traffic, calculate the cost of possible infrastructure improvements and providing the service.
Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon told the Surface Transportation Board that his concerns weren’t with Amtrak, but instead the use of the infrastructure that the carrier would be using on its Gulf Coast route.
“I believe the additional traffic created by passenger trains will have a significant negative impact on freight rail service upon which our state economy depends,” McCutcheon said. “Second, I do not believe the process to date has been thoroughly understood to the impact on the port of Mobile and freight rail and identify the necessary infrastructure to address that impact. Third, I’m concerned about the long-term costs our state could be on the hook for this current proposal.
“Lastly, I don’t think this is the right time to voluntarily introduce dynamics that add to an already serious supply chain that challenges our country now.”
The Gulf Coast route was scrapped before Hurricane Katrina struck the coast in 2005, suffering from ever-decreasing ridership. A 2015 Amtrak study said a potential twice-daily route would draw 38,400 riders annually, but require about $2.3 million in annual subsidies from state taxpayers alone.
About $66 million has been committed by two of the three states on the route (Louisiana and Mississippi) and federal grants.
There was once daily rail service between Mobile and New Orleans from 1984 to 1985 and 1996 to 1997, but the service was scrapped both times because lawmakers decided to end the subsidies required to keep the service running.
CSX and Norfolk Southern said in a combined filing with the Surface Transportation Board that without large-scale infrastructure improvements such as sidings and double-track sections, restoration of passenger rail will impair freight service in the area.
That bill could add up to $405 million to $450 million according to filings by the two railroads made with the Surface Transportation Board. The two railroads’ objections were also echoed by the 2015 Amtrak study, which said that interference with freight operations and maintenance issues with Amtrak locomotives and rolling stock led to delays and decreased ridership.
The Alabama State Ports Authority is also objecting to the restoration of passenger service, reiterating the same argument that absent improvements, Amtrak service will impair freight rail traffic at the Alabama State Docks in Mobile, which is the 17th largest port nationally in terms of cargo handled.
