Frequently Asked Questions
Restore the Gulf Coast Connector: FAQs
Q: What is the Gulf Coast Connector?
A: The Gulf Coast Connector refers to the segment of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited long-distance passenger train route between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Jacksonville, Florida, with stops in Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, Tallahassee and other intermediate stations. The Sunset Limited once ran between Los Angeles and Orlando, providing vital connections with the rest of the Amtrak system.
Q: When and why did the Gulf Coast Connector stop running?
A: All rail service on the line was suspended in the months following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina (September 2005), which caused major damage to the tracks. CSX, the freight railroad that owns the tracks, resumed the use of the line in March 2006. Amtrak, however, continues an indefinite suspension of the Sunset Limited east of New Orleans
Q: Did a lot of people ride the Gulf Coast Connector before it stopped running?
A: The Sunset Limited lost almost 30,000 passengers from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006, when more than 50,000 fewer people rode the train than in 2003. Prior to Katrina, the Gulf Coast Connector segment generated 41% of the Sunset Limited route’s revenue, and 39% of its ridership.
Q: Who uses the Gulf Coast Connector train?
A: The train serves as both a vital link between southern states, and as a essential element for connectivity within Gulf Coast states.
Not only does the train link important tourist attractions like Orlando (home of Walt Disney World), Biloxi (the gaming capital of the Southeast), and New Orleans, it acts as a connector for local passenger train services. In Florida, for instance, the Sunset Limited affords a direct connection between the large cities of Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and Orlando, and provides the Florida Panhandle access to Amtrak’s Silver Service line, which runs all the way from Jacksonville to Tampa and Miami. In fact, without the Gulf Coast Connector, Florida’s Tallahassee (Florida’s state capital) has no passenger train service at all.
Q: Are the tracks and stations still in damaged condition?
A: CSX repaired its tracks to a condition it says is better than it was before Katrina. However, many of the stations, particularly in Mississippi and Alabama, have not been repaired since the storm.
Q: Why hasn’t the train already been restored?
A: One answer is a lack of money. The other is a lack of imagination and will on the part of Amtrak. Amtrak maintains that, before service resumes, the stations have to be fully repaired and made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that the cost of these projects, plus hiring and training the necessary crews, is prohibitive in relation to the revenue it would generate. However, the condition of the stations did not stop service to New Orleans on other routes from being restored as soon as the track was repaired. Amtrak management has always held a dim view of Gulf Coast service.
Q: Have the federal or state governments done anything towards restoring the train?
A: Congress mandated that Amtrak study the costs and benefits of restoring the service as part of the Amtrak reauthorization law enacted in 2008. Amtrak completed the study [PDF], but Congress has yet to provide the funding necessary to resume operation. While a host of local governments along the line have formally called for the train’s speedy return, the states have not committed any funds.
Amtrak now considers the Gulf Coast Connector to be in the same category as other trains whose restoration Congress has mandated that they study, despite the fact that the section of the route east of New Orleans continues to be listed in the system timetable and shown on the system map.
Q: Won’t Amtrak’s study lead to the restoration of service?
A: Not necessarily. Not only has there been no commitment to pay for it, but the Amtrak report’s tone seems biased against the train’s return. It fails to reflect a series of service cancellations—due to track maintenance—as a likely cause of declining pre-Katrina ridership, and lacks justification for pessimistic ridership projections. More details here.
Q: I don’t live along the Gulf Coast. Why should I care about this train?
A: The Gulf Coast Connector is a strategically important component of the national intercity passenger train system linking major population centers, including some of the fastest-growing regions in the country [link]. It would provide vital connectivity for the national network and make travel by means other than highway and air more convenient for many Americans. For example, those traveling by train from the Southwest and West Coast to Florida and other Eastern Seaboard destinations, and vice versa, are currently routed through Chicago and Washington, adding two more nights to the travel time.
Q: How much will it cost to restore it?
A: According to Amtrak’s report, restoring the Sunset exactly as it was pre-Katrina would cost $32.7 million in capital and mobilization costs, and would result in a farebox recovery ratio (percent of costs covered by passengers’ fares) of 56%, which is comparable to most Amtrak long-distance trains. The study also looked at extending the daily Chicago-New Orleans City of New Orleans to Orlando and operating a daily stand-alone New Orleans-Orlando train, each of which would produce a lower farebox recovery ratio but would have higher ridership.
Q: What can I do to help bring the train back?
A: If you live along the route, click here to see if your town has already stated its support for restoring the train. If it has, thank your local leaders. If it has not, ask your Mayor and City Council to join in the call. Regardless of where you live, let your US Senators and Representative, and your state legislators, know that a robust national passenger train network (including the Gulf Coast Connector) is important to you and that you expect full funding to make it a reality.
You can also join NARP and help us continue to fight for a modern American passenger train system:
