15-07-2025
How to Plan a Trip Along Amtrak's New Mardis Gras Route to New Orleans
This summer, Amtrak is finally resuming a decades-old route through the Southern US, newly minted as the Mardis Gras Service.
The train line is restarting service between Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans via the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for the first time in 20 years. Passenger rail operations have been suspended in the region since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the coast in 2005. But that's changing on August 18, when Amtrak will relaunch its route along the Gulf.
Tickets are now on sale for the Mardi Gras Service, which will operate two trains per day through four coastal towns in Mississippi—including Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascalouga—before arriving in either Mobile or New Orleans. The relaunched route is sure to make for a scenic—and affordable—trip, as adult fares to ride the line from end to end start at just $15 one way, and can be even less for shorter hops.
Although many travelers will book the nearly four-hour train journey to visit New Orleans or Mobile, it's well worth stopping in some of the lesser-known destinations along the way. Each of the smaller towns on the route offer attractions like white-sand beaches, fresh seafood, historic hotels, and notable museums.
