U.S. Senator Roger Wicker has issued a statement following the official return of Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, marking the resumption of full passenger rail service in the region for the first time since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“At last, passenger rail has returned to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina shuttered the line that carried tourists and travelers along our shore. Today, after 20 years of effort, that changes. The Mardi Gras Service is one of the final pieces of the recovery puzzle from Hurricane Katrina. In the Senate, I spent nearly ten years securing federal investment, continuing conversations with stakeholders, and pressing Transportation Secretary nominees and federal rail officials about their commitment to Gulf Coast rail. Serving as the lead Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee helped me to advocate effectively for Gulf Coast rail. Reconnecting the Gulf Coast to the nationwide passenger rail network will not only turn a page on Hurricane Katrina, but will expand opportunity in our state for years to come,” Wicker said.
The effort to restore passenger rail service has spanned two decades. In 2008, Wicker addressed rebuilding efforts for the Gulf Coast during his maiden Senate speech and identified it as Mississippi’s top priority at that time.
In 2015, under Wicker’s leadership on the Senate Commerce Committee, Congress passed and enacted the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act—the first surface transportation bill to include funding specifically for passenger rail. The act also established the Gulf Coast Working Group tasked with evaluating how best to reintroduce passenger service in coordination with a Federal Railroad Administration study.
Wicker participated in a 2016 inspection trip aboard what was then the first passenger train through the region since Hurricane Katrina struck. He later received recognition from the National Association of Railroad Passengers for his support of bipartisan efforts such as those contained within FAST Act provisions.
Federal funding played a key role in advancing restoration plans: In 2019, $42.8 million was awarded through support from Wicker and others; this laid groundwork for new service operations. Further advocacy came in 2021 when Wicker urged restoration between New Orleans and Mobile and described twice-daily trains as providing “huge economic life” for coastal cities.
By 2022, he testified before regulators emphasizing both recovery needs and collaboration between freight and passenger services: “For the Mississippians who lost a transportation option along with so much else to Hurricane Katrina, this case is not an abstract policy question. It’s about continuing and completing the recovery. Freight and passenger railroads must work together to achieve benefits for both elements of rail transportation along the Gulf Coast.”
Additional financial commitments included a $178.4 million award announced by Wicker in 2023 via Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program funds—used mainly for construction upgrades—and a $21 million grant from Federal Rail Administration in 2025 supporting operational costs associated with renewed Amtrak services.
Amtrak hosted its inaugural Mardi Gras Service ride on August 16, officially reopening regular passenger travel along Mississippi’s coast.
