Southern Rail Commission

A project aimed at helping restore passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast for the first time in nearly two decades is well underway. The start of the Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement project began on Oct. 22 in downtown Mobile with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The Biden administration has awarded $1.4 billion to projects improving railway safety and boosting rail capacity. Among the projects is restoring passenger service in parts of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi along the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

CSX and CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) railroads announced a deal that will allow them to beef up a little-used connection between their two networks in the southeastern United States to handle a significant amount of freight.As part of the deal, CPKC will acquire about 50 miles of track between Meridian, Mississippi, and Myrtlewood, Alabama, if regulators approve. CSX will take over the line it currently leases to the Meridian & Bigbee Railroad that runs east to Montgomery, Alabama.

The Alabama Department of Transportation is asking for the public’s comments for a new State Rail Plan. An online hearing is being held tomorrow night to gather input and feedback. Plans to restore Amtrak passenger service may attract attention. The rail service began test runs in February.

Regular passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile ended with Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Talks may be making progress train trips between the two Gulf coast cities in 2023.

Leaders in Mobile, Alabama, are dimming chances for reviving passenger train service along the northern Gulf Coast. Member of the City Council's finance…

More than $2 million dollars in federal funding is coming to Alabama and two other Southern states to restore and improve passenger rail…

Mike Hubbard’s political career appears to be over.The former Alabama House Speaker faces sentencing next month after being convicted on 12 of the 23…

The Alabama Department of Public Health is contesting reports that two Alabama counties rank among the nation’s top three for lead levels in…

Many of Alabama’s senior citizens that qualify for food and medical assistance don’t receive those benefits because they haven’t signed up for the…