LOUISIANA — Getting around the South for a long weekend is a little bit easier these days thanks to Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service. The new line launched last summer, restoring passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast. The line has departures twice a day with stops in New Orleans, Bay Saint Louis, MS, Gulfport, MS, Biloxi, MS, Pascagoula, MS, and Mobile, AL. The full route, from New Orleans to Mobile, takes less than four hours.
Since August 2025, the Mardi Gras Service’s ridership numbers have exceeded expectations. According to the Southern Rail Commission, from August 2025 through January 21, 2026, nearly 70,500 passengers rode the new train.
One of those riders was Caryl Ewing. The New Roads woman and her family took the train from New Orleans to Biloxi, MS around the holidays, and got a first-hand look at why the Mardi Gras Service is so popular.
Views for miles
Ewing rode the Mardi Gras Line December 27, 2025, with her husband and child, as well as her brother, his wife, and their two kids. “We started in New Orleans and took the morning train out. We wanted the kids to be able to see the scenery and everything,” she said. “We stopped in Biloxi and actually stayed in Ocean Spring for three nights and then came back.”
One of the most noteworthy parts of the train ride was the view. “Once you get out of New Orleans, the scenery is gorgeous. It’s just beautiful. Going along the Gulf is gorgeous,” Ewing said. “About 75% of the time you can see the water. And you see the wetlands and the flat area. And at the time that the train was going, you could see the sun was coming up, and it was just beautiful.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, who rode the Mardi Gras Service on day one. “I took the first trip out of New Orleans. The views on the train ride are pretty incredible along the coast,” he told UWK.
Perks for everyone
A big perk of taking the train along the coast versus driving is that you can avoid traffic and parking. “We did it for the kids, but it was so nice to not have to deal with driving on I-10 and to just sit and be able to go to the food cart, maybe grab some wine, and not have to worry,” Ewing said.
Ewing said there is plenty on board to keep kids busy and entertained. “They were enthralled. They wanted it to be longer, because Biloxi was only about two hours away or so,” she said. “They just love being able to walk around as we were traveling, hang out with each other, go to the dining cart and, you know, have a meal. The workers also had things for the kids to do, which was great. They gave them an activity where they could construct a train car. So we just sat in the dining car and let them do that for a while. So kids are entertained.”
“It’s just an easy way to travel. It’s not having your kids cooped up in a car. Not having to stop for bathroom breaks. It just made life so easy on all of us,” she continued. “It was super kid friendly and super adult friendly.”
Lots of stops, lots of sites
Most of the stops along the route have a lot of things to see and do that are all within a close distance to the train stations. “When we got to New Orleans, we stayed downtown. The parking was super easy at the Amtrak station. I was blown away with how easy that was,” Ewing said. “It was kind of confusing beforehand, because we didn’t know if we needed to reserve parking or how early to arrive. But you park right next to the front door, you walk in, and you really only have to arrive, like, 30 minutes early.”
Right now Biloxi doesn’t have a brick and mortar station, but Ewing was told they hope to put a station there. “Right now you get off into a parking lot. But we ordered an Uber, and it was there waiting for us,” she said. “We jumped in and it was only a ten minute ride to Ocean Springs. And that had the beach, playgrounds, plenty of shopping and restaurants.”
Nungesser also talked about the stops along the Mardi Gras Service route. “At every stop, we were greeted by the local people. They’re all unique places to visit in our neighboring states,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for people from their states to come spend a weekend in Louisiana, and vice versa.”
Knox Ross, the Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, told UWK the line is bringing more energy along the Gulf Coast. “We’re thrilled about the Mississippi stops because this is bringing people to the Mississippi stops that just wouldn’t come there otherwise,” he said. “The Mississippi Coast is kind of unique, in that for this particular service, all of the stops are very close to the downtown area, or the attractions that are in these cities.”
Future plans
Amtrak and Southern Rail Commission leaders told UWK they are already working on plans to expand the Mardi Gras Service. It’s something both Nungesser and Ewing say they’d like to see.
“We’re hoping that line will continue,” Nungesser said. “We’d love to see a line from Baton Rouge to North Louisiana, and then see that line across North Louisiana and we connect all of Louisiana by train. We’re hoping these things continue to grow, and the success of the Mardi Gras Line will help push the funding forward. I’ve talked to my counterparts in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas about helping secure that the funding to make sure those lines continue throughout our states.”
“I would love for them to extend it past Mobile, like go down to Florida,” Ewing said. “If I could take that to Florida for a vacation, that’d be fantastic.”
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