NEW ORLEANS – Ridership on Amtrak’s Mardi Gras service — launched in August to link New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — has exceeded expectations in its first three-plus months of operation along the Gulf Coast.
Amtrak on Thursday said that more than 46,000 passengers have ridden the twice-daily roundtrips since the long-awaited service launched using a combination of CSX, Norfolk Southern, and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad trackage.
“We are well on-track to double the original estimate,” Amtrak Board Chairman Anthony Coscia said in a statement. “Demand is very high across our network.”
Amtrak Executive Vice President Jennifer Mitchell said the communities along the route have embraced the service faster than predicted. “Amtrak is proud of what we’ve achieved with local partners in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama,” she said in a statement.
Strong support has also come from three regional tourism agencies and the Southern Rail Commission, Amtrak noted.
The trains rank at the top of all Amtrak services in customer satisfaction scores, which Amtrak attributes to work by its train, engine, on-board, and maintenance teams. Some 96% of customers said they were “extremely satisfied” with their trips.
Customer on-time performance to date is 86%, which is one of the best rates in the Amtrak system. When trains are delayed, nearly 90% of passengers said they were still “extremely satisfied” with the Amtrak experience.
In 108 days of service, an average of more than 420 people daily rode the Mardi Gras trains.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
So daily an average 105 people are riding each one way trip. That should lead to comfortable seating.