Amtrak’s Sunset Limited rail service begins operating between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans.
1993
The Sunset Limited route is extended from Los Angeles to New Orleans and onto Jacksonville, Orlando and initially Miami, Florida.
The Los Angeles—Florida run becomes the first coast-to-coast passenger rail service operated by a single carrier.
August 2005
Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast and causes severe damage to all railroad infrastructures in the region.
The main line between New Orleans and Mobile is hit the hardest.
2008
Congress passes the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA). The Act requires Amtrak to develop a plan for restoring rail service between New Orleans and Sanford, Florida.
2009
Amtrak identifies three preferred alternatives in its 2009 Gulf Coast Service Plan Report, including a New Orleans—Orlando route.
2010
Mayors, businesses and civic organizations along the Gulf Coast provide recommendations on service restorations.
2012
Mayors of Tallahassee and Mobile lead the municipalities affected by suspended rail service and formally establish a consensus that service should be restored.
2014
The Southern Rail Commission (SRC) leads the effort in engaging mayors and business and civic leaders across the Gulf Coast in advocating for the return of the improved passenger rail service.
2015
At the request of the SRC, Amtrak studies restoration of service for the Gulf Coast region and identifies five alternatives, including options for daily corridor service between New Orleans and Mobile.
December 2015
Congress passes Section 11304 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act requiring the Secretary of Transportation to convene a working group to evaluate the restoration of intercity passenger rail service between New Orleans and Orlando and submit a report to Congress by September 2016 that includes a preferred option for restoring service; the reasons for selecting that option; a prioritized inventory of capital projects; the infrastructure, costs and benefits associated with restoration of services; and potential funding sources.
February 2016
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), SRC and Gulf Coast Working Group (GCWG) holds its first meeting.
Thousands of people at 14 train stations in four states witness something that had not happened in more than a decade: an Amtrak train traveled from New Orleans, along the Gulf Coast toward Jacksonville, as a part of the two-day inspection in an effort to restore passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast.
April 2016
Amtrak presents preliminary findings regarding the condition of the stations located along the Sunset Limited route at a GCWG meeting in Atmore, Alabama.
August 2016
Amtrak submits to the GCWG a draft station-condition assessment, which includes conception cost-estimate and high-level Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) observations.
GCWG, CSX and their consultants, HDR Engineering, Inc., present the findings from their modeling study.
September 2016
GCWG meets FAST Act requirements.
Next steps
GCWG must complete the following tasks to finalize the 2016 report:
Determine the physical infrastructure necessary to support daily passenger services.
Develop an order-of-magnitude capital cost estimate based on identified infrastructure requirements.
Identify potential sources for federal, state and local funding.
Identify potential benefits and challenges to restoring intercity passenger rail transportation in the region.
