The sound of a train horn is a familiar one for people living on the Gulf Coast. Soon, passenger trains will be chugging along coastal tracks on a journey from New Orleans to Mobile, making stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.

Amtrak is petitioning the Surface Transportation Board to allow the passenger service from New Orleans to Mobile to use freight rail infrastructure twice a day. The STB is an independent federal agency that oversees economic regulation of rail and has jurisdiction over certain passenger rail issues.