Amtrak is taking its effort to start service along the Gulf Coast to the Surface Transportation Board.

The passenger railroad is asking the regulatory body to require CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern to permit operation of two daily round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. In its filing, Amtrak is asking for expedited action by the board to allow service to begin on or about Jan. 1, 2022; under STB procedures the railroads must provide access or show why they are unable to do so.

The move comes after Amtrak announced last month that it intended to launch the service in 2022, although a traffic study of the route has not been completed [see “Amtrak seeks to start Mobile service in 2022,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 26, 2021]. In a press release, Amtrak cites “more than five years of data-driven and federally led studies” preceding the filing.