MOBILE—The Mobile City Council still needs to approve two projects before Amtrak passenger service from Mobile to New Orleans can proceed.
The Mobile City Council must approve a lease agreement for a temporary train depot and a $3 million subsidy for the first three years of operations.
The depot currently sits on city-owned property adjacent to Cooper Riverside Park, so a lease from the city is needed. After the depot is constructed, it will include 45 parking spaces on site.
The City Council voted 6-1 on Feb. 4, 2020, the previous time Amtrak went before a Mobile city board, to dedicate $3.048 million in funds.
The same amount is still being sought from Mobile, which the council will consider soon. Only three council members from that 2020 council remain, and one of them — Councilman Joel Daves — has been among the chief critics of the Gulf Coast rail project. Another councilman, Ben Reynolds, has expressed concerns with Amtrak in general.
The Alabama Port Authority announced in June it would contribute $1 million of the city’s share of the three-year subsidy.
Under the Zoghby Rule, each of the two measures requires the support of five of the council’s seven members.
Four council members participated in a roundtable Wednesday at the West Mobile Republican Women’s Club. District Four council member Ben Reynolds brought up the topic of the Amtrak proposal. He expressed reservations about the plan, saying the project is not a municipal function. He said the three-year plan means that Amtrak would “come back to us after three years” asking for continued funding.
The council members seemed to agree that the State of Alabama should pay the funds, not the City of Mobile.
While the council members did not each formally announce a decision on how they would vote on the two upcoming Amtrak votes, there appeared to be reservations about the plan around the table.
After the meeting, Council member Gina Gregory made an astounding observation. She said if Mobile and the State of Alabama decline to put up the $3 million, she thinks it is probable that the states of Mississippi and Louisiana would. Her reason was that the program “benefits Mississippi and Louisiana far more than it benefits Alabama.” Both states have approved funding for the project.
The proposed route would be a dead end at its east side in Mobile. The other end, in New Orleans, would have connections to routes, the Sunset Limited, the City of New Orleans and the Cresent. Those routes connect to Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
The roundtable was held at the Woodridge Baptist Church on Schillinger Road. In addition to Daves, Gregory and Reynolds, council member Josh Woods, the newest member, participated.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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