Amtrak Mardi Gras line ridership is more than double expectations

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When Amtrak's Mardi Gras service launched this summer, every seat was booked. Nearly three months later, the demand shows no signs of slowing down, with tourists and commuters alike opting to travel the Gulf Coast by train instead of car.

The route carried nearly 19,000 passengers from mid-August to the end of September — a daily average of 109 passengers, according to Knox Ross, the chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. As of Thursday, that total has climbed to almost 30,000.

The figure is more than double Amtrak's original estimate for ridership, despite the line debuting during the company's slower months, Ross said. The projection for the entire first year of service was 71,000 passengers.

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The Mardi Gras line's popularity has continued to surge since Amtrak added a third train car to accommodate football fans traveling to New Orleans for Saints home games, creating 60 additional seats that have sold out multiple weekends.

The highest ridership weeks so far, Ross said, came during Cruisin' the Coast, an annual classic car show along the Mississippi Coast.

While the service's success marks the return of a long-lost route, Ross said it also offers a sign of the revival of coastal communities, from New Orleans to Bay St. Louis, that were decimated by Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago.

“To look at where they were then to where they are now is quite remarkable," Ross said, "And (Amtrak) is just on top of that work and effort. I would call it a cherry on top.”

The route has helped spur new developments and improvements at its stops, including the Depot District in Bay St. Louis, a thoroughfare once ravaged by Katrina that has since been revitalized with restaurants, fitness centers and vacation rentals.

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