مراسم ماردي غرا

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الموسوعة الحرة

خدمة قطارات ماردي غرا هي خدمة قطارات ركاب تُشغلها شركة أمتراك على طول ساحل خليج المكسيك في الولايات المتحدة . تتضمن الخدمة رحلتين ذهابًا وإيابًا يوميًا بين نيو أورليانز، لويزيانا ، وموبايل ، ألاباما ، مع توقفات في باي سانت لويس ، وجلفبورت ، وبيلوكسي ، وباسكاجولا، ميسيسيبي. بدأت الخدمة في 18 أغسطس 2025.

تتبع خدمة ماردي غرا نفس مسار قطار جلف كوست ليميتد ، وهو قطار يومي تشغله شركة أمتراك في الفترة 1984-1985، ومرة ​​أخرى في الفترة 1996-1997. [ 2 ] كما خدم هذا الممر قطار صن سيت ليميتد للمسافات الطويلة من عام 1993 إلى عام 2005.

طريق

تُسيّر خدمة ماردي غرا رحلاتها على مسار يمتد لمسافة 233 كيلومترًا (145 ميلًا) من نيو أورليانز إلى موبيل، محاذيةً ساحل خليج المكسيك . معظم هذا المسار مملوك لشركة سي إس إكس للنقل ( قسم نيو أورليانز وموبيل )، باستثناء بضعة كيلومترات حول محطة نيو أورليانز يونيون للركاب وتقاطع إيست سيتي، المملوكتين لشركة أمتراك وسكة حديد نورفولك الجنوبية على التوالي. [ 3 ] : ES.2 وقد عملت كلتا نسختي قطار غلف كوست ليميتد على نفس المسار الذي تسلكه خدمة ماردي غرا اليوم. [ 4 ] 

تقدم شركة أمتراك خدمة الحافلات (عبر غرايهاوند / فليكس باص ) من باتون روج إلى نيو أورليانز، مع إمكانية الربط بخدمة ماردي غرا . [ 5 ]

تاريخ

شغّلت شركة أمتراك قطار " جلف كوست ليميتد" على طول ساحل الخليج، وتوقفت عن تشغيله عام ١٩٩٧ بسبب مشاكل في التمويل الحكومي. [ ٦ ] [ ٤ ] كما شغّلت قطار "سانسيت ليميتد" على طول ساحل الخليج حتى إعصار كاترينا في أغسطس ٢٠٠٥. [ ٦ ] [ ٧ ] دمّر الإعصار جسورًا رئيسية وألحق أضرارًا بـ ١١٠ أميال من السكك الحديدية على طول قسم ساحل الخليج من الخط. [ ٦ ] [ ٧ ] استؤنفت خدمة سكك الشحن بعد خمسة أشهر من الإعصار، إلا أن نقص التمويل ومعارضة شركات سكك الشحن حالا دون استئناف خدمة سكك الركاب. [ ٦ ]

The Rail Passengers Association began lobbying for the route's return in 2010.[8] The Southern Rail Commission began working on a proposal to restore service in 2014.[7] 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.[9]

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.[10][11]

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.[12][13] Amtrak plans to pay for repairs along the route.[14] The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed on November 15, 2021, provided federal funding for the route.[6] By late 2022, after lengthy negotiations with Norfolk Southern and CSX, Amtrak expected Gulf Coast service to begin sometime in 2024.[15][16][17]

In its annual report published in March 2023, Amtrak referred to the new service simply as the Gulf Coast and reiterated that two round trips would begin in fiscal year 2023.[18] In June 2023, Amtrak began running test trains along the corridor and continued to make preparations for the service to begin.[19] In early August 2023, it was reported that an agreement between Amtrak, CSX, and the city of Mobile on the design and construction of the station there had not yet been reached, and that the service was now not expected to start until the first quarter of 2024.[20] In late August the name of the train was reported to be Mardi Gras Service.[21] The following month, Amtrak received nearly $200 million in federal grants. They announced that up to just over $178 million of that money would be used in the Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project that will allow Mardi Gras Service to start.[22]

The inaugural special train at Mobile

In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration accepted an application by the Southern Rail Commission to enter the New Orleans–Mobile route into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the route for future federal funding.[23]

In January 2024, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) called for “detailed information” on the status of the agreement that first agreed upon in November 2022 between all the parties involved in the new Amtrak Gulf Coast service.[24] A hearing was scheduled for February 14, but the parties asked for the hearing and the case to be scrapped when they sent their update on February 1. Their filing indicated that the delay in the start of service was due to ongoing negotiations between Amtrak and the City of Mobile.[25][26] The final agreement between Amtrak and the City of Mobile was approved by the Mobile City Council on August 6, 2024,[27] with service planned to start in June 2025.[28] In January 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $21.1 million to cover operating costs for the service.[29][30] On May 29, 2025, the Southern Rail Commission announced that service was postponed to late July or early August, due to construction issues.[31]

On July 1, 2025, Amtrak announced that Mardi Gras Service would begin on August 18, 2025, with two daily return trips.[32] Tickets on the inaugural trains sold out within a day.[33] A special inaugural trip was run on August 16, 2025, two days before regular service began.[34][8]Mardi Gras parades were held at stations on the route.[8] In mid-September, Amtrak began adding a fourth car to some trains that were selling out due to New Orleans Saints home football games.[35] In December, Amtrak reported that the service had drawn 46,000 riders since its launch, putting it on track to double the service's projected 12-month ridership of 71,000.[36] By April 2026, ridership exceeded 100,000.[37]

Stations

StateMunicipalityStationConnections
AlabamaMobileMobileBus transportThe Wave Transit System
MississippiPascagoulaPascagoula
BiloxiBiloxiBus transportCoast Transit AuthorityGreyhound LinesGreyhound
GulfportGulfportBus transportCoast Transit Authority
Bay St. LouisBay St. Louis
LouisianaNew OrleansNew Orleans Union Passenger TerminalAmtrakAmtrak: City of New Orleans, Crescent, Sunset LimitedHeritage streetcarRTA Streetcar:  46 Rampart/LoyolaBus transportRTA BusGreyhound LinesGreyhound

See also

Notes

  1. ↑Route started August 2025.
  2. ↑Amtrak's Fiscal Year (FY) runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year.

References

  1. ↑"Amtrak Fiscal Year 2025 Ridership"(PDF). Amtrak. November 18, 2025.
  2. ↑Seymour, Ellie (September 6, 2025). "The triumphant return of the US's Gulf Coast train". BBC. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  3. ↑Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. (May 2006). "Gulf Coast High-Speed Rail Corridor: New Orleans to Mobile Corridor Development Plan"(PDF). The Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 26, 2012.
  4. 12Wolfe, Poet (August 13, 2025). "Amtrak Gulf Coast route from New Orleans to Mobile kicks off in days. Here's what to know". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  5. ↑Miller, Haley (August 11, 2025). "Baton Rouge has a new link to the New Orleans-Mobile Amtrak train service: 'Why wait?". The Advocate.
  6. 12345Cochrane, Emily; Alban, Vincent (August 22, 2025). "Amtrak's Mardi Gras Train Returns, Joyfully, 20 Years After Katrina". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  7. 123Zukowski, Dan (August 26, 2025). "How Hurricane Katrina killed Amtrak's transcontinental train". Smart Cities Dive. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  8. 123Sharp, John (August 17, 2025). "Amtrak launches Gulf Coast service with Mardi Gras celebrations at each stop". AL.com. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  9. ↑"Gulf Coast Working Group Report to Congress"(PDF). The Gulf Coast Working Group. July 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  10. ↑"Mobile hops aboard Amtrak support by endorsing Gulf Coast rail commitment". AL.com. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  11. ↑"Gulf Coast passenger rail receives $33 million in federal funding". Transportation for America. June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  12. ↑"Amtrak official: Gulf Coast service starting in 2022". al. February 24, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  13. ↑WLOX Staff (February 25, 2021). "Amtrak set to return to Gulf Coast in 2022 with 4 stops in South Mississippi". www.wlox.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  14. ↑"Amtrak to pay for repairs along Gulf Coast route". al. March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  15. ↑Weinberg, Harrison (December 12, 2022). "Gulf Coast service to begin sometime in 2023, Amtrak says". trains.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  16. ↑Weinberg, Harrison (November 23, 2022). "Agreement Reached in Amtrak Gulf Coast Dispute". railwayage.com. David Peter Alan. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  17. ↑"Amtrak making progress in returning to Gulf Coast". WLOX. WDAM7. February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  18. ↑"General and Legislative Annual Report"(PDF). Amtrak. March 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  19. ↑Perez, Mary (June 9, 2023). "Here's when Amtrak hopes to launch passenger train service across MS Gulf Coast". SunHerald. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  20. ↑Kirby, Brendan (August 3, 2023). "Mississippi cities ready with Amtrak platforms, while key details remain unresolved in Mobile". Fox 10 News. WALA. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  21. ↑Kirby, Brendan (August 29, 2023). "Planned Gulf Coast train to be named after Mardi Gras, tourism official says". fox10tv.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  22. ↑Anderson, Kyle (September 25, 2023). "Amtrak Awarded Nearly $200M in Federal Grants". Amtrak Media. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  23. ↑"FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections"(PDF). railroads.dot.gov. Federal Railroad Administration. December 2023. p. 6. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  24. ↑Johnston, Bob (January 25, 2024). "STB seeks answers for delay on Gulf Coast settlement: Analysis". Trains. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  25. ↑Shigley, James (February 2, 2024). "Amtrak, railroads ask STB to cancel hearing on status of Gulf Coast agreement". Trains. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  26. ↑Sharp, John (February 2, 2024). "Amtrak eyes possible dismissal of Gulf Coast rail case before May 1". al. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  27. ↑Perez, Mary (August 6, 2024). "Amtrak finally gets approved. What's next and when will passenger trains roll through MS?". Sun Herald. McClatchy. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  28. ↑WLOX Staff (January 16, 2025). "Amtrak now expected to begin Gulf Coast passenger rail service in June". www.wlox.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  29. ↑"Amtrak Gulf Coast service to receive $21 million grant". Trains News Wire. January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  30. ↑"Restoration & Enhancement (R&E) Grant Program: FY 2021-2024 Selections: Project Summaries"(PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. January 2025. p. 2.
  31. ↑Kirby, Brendan (May 28, 2025). "'Construction issues' push back start of Amtrak service between Mobile and New Orleans". fox10tv.com. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  32. ↑Magliari, Marc (June 30, 2025). "Book Now for Amtrak Mardi Gras Service starting August 18". Amtrak Media. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  33. ↑Kirby, Brendan (July 2, 2025). "Amtrak sells out first train scheduled to depart Mobile for New Orleans next month". Fox10. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  34. ↑Sharp, John (August 16, 2025). "Amtrak Mardi Gras Service inaugural run". al.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  35. ↑Sharp, John (September 11, 2025). "Amtrak adds car to Mardi Gras Service for Saints games after strong start". AL.com. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  36. ↑Sharp, John (December 4, 2025). "Amtrak service from Mobile to New Orleans surges past 46,000 riders, shattering expectations". AL.com. Alabama Media Group (Advance Publications). Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  37. ↑Sanchez, Martha (April 21, 2026). "Amtrak's Gulf Coast ridership totals hit major milestone, soar past projections: 'It's incredible'". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved April 21, 2026.

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