Amtrak Rolls Into Pensacola On Day Two Of Gulf Coast Tour (With Gallery)

February 20, 2016

Day two of Amtrak’s inspection train across the Gulf Coast got underway Friday morning in Pensacola for a trip across the Panhandle and on to Jacksonville. The train was packed with Amtrak officials, local officials and VIPs and the media to gauge the reaction to the possible return of rail service to the Gulf Coast.

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited passenger train, which included service from New Orleans through Pensacola to Jacksonville, came to an end along the Gulf Coast due to damage from Hurricane Katrina.

The train is a test of sorts, testing the potential route and testing the willingness of state leaders from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana to provide millions in funding for the daily train service

For a photo gallery, click here.

For an earlier story and photos from Amtrak’s arrival in Atmore on Thursday, click here.

Pictured: Amtrak’s arrival Friday morning in Pensacola. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

10 Responses to “Amtrak Rolls Into Pensacola On Day Two Of Gulf Coast Tour (With Gallery)”

  1. Matt on November 7th, 2016 7:27 pm

    Has anyone heard anymore updates on the status of Amtrak returning service to this area?

  2. Wendel Johnson on February 21st, 2016 6:44 pm

    The more people see Amtrak trains and learn of their efficiencies and enhanced passenger productivity the greater will be the ridership. It’s all about investing in our national infrastructure. Be a patriot, Go Amtrak!

  3. johnny on February 21st, 2016 4:01 pm

    I would rather ride the train than fly anytime. And how much money do we pit into the airlines

  4. Jim on February 21st, 2016 7:41 am

    An awful lot of money to pour into nostalgia. How much better the transportation tax dollars could be spent on repairing the crumbling highway infrastructure. If people are truly that interested in Amtrak, build a museum for those engines and train cars, and let people come to the museum. I’m sure that after all the rah-rah is over, interest in the railway will wane, and we’ll watch it decline and fade away again. It never has been, and nevr will be profitable. What a waste.

  5. Erica on February 21st, 2016 7:38 am

    The state and country needs the Amtrak link from Jacksonville to New Orleans. This missing piece of transportation infrastructure for over a decade cuts train travel into unconnected segments that take days to navigate. Amtrak should work with tax payers to restore service without breaking the bank. The infrastructure is already repaired for cargo trains, so just do it! Next connect Tampa to Tallahassee via a central line so you don’t have to go all the way to Jax, just to get to Pensacola. Florida has enough tourists and residents to ride if the routes make sense.

  6. ajwood on February 20th, 2016 10:07 pm

    Downtown Los Angeles to downtown Jacksonville, that’s all I ask.

  7. shiloh on February 20th, 2016 9:54 am

    Amtrak is looking for more taxpayers money to subsidize their train. A poor way to travel.

  8. Walnut Hill Roy on February 20th, 2016 9:49 am

    Since I moved down here after Katrina, I don’t know where the Pensacola train station is located. Atmore’s is easy and much closer. I would like to take the train ride once it’s offered.

  9. Pat on February 20th, 2016 8:42 am

    If it had been promoted properly, there would/could have been a bigger turn out. Many of our friends commented that they would have liked to have participated in welcoming the train back to Pensacola.
    Promoting and advertising is what will bring the train back, not VIP’s and local officials. THE PEOPLE ARE THE ONES THAT WOULD SUPPORT/USE THE TRAIN.

  10. Atmore Dude on February 20th, 2016 8:04 am

    It looks like there were more people in ATMORE to receive the train than in Pensacola.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News