Passenger rail has historically played a significant role in safely transporting people across the nation effectively and economically. Rail services, such as Amtrak, interconnect cities throughout the country and at one time, connected the citizens of the Gulf Coast from New Orleans, Louisiana to Jacksonville, Florida.

However, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, passenger rail service has not been available along this corridor for over ten years. In an effort to reestablish passenger rail along the Gulf Coast, the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) has been working to “engage and inform public and private rail interests to support and influence southeast rail initiatives”. Over the past decade, the SRC has helped leaders understand the benefits of passenger rail in the region and worked with Amtrak to develop a feasibility study on reinstating passenger rail along the coast.

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