Bands played and crowds cheered as the first Amtrak train in more than a decade rolled up to stations in South Mississippi.
That was 2016 and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker recalls, “It was a massive crowd at every stop.” Kids and 80-year-old couples alike were there to cheer the inspection train and show their support for Amtrak. “I think it was the realization that this is the place where passenger rail can really work,” he said.
It seemed like the return of passenger trains was just a few years away. Now nine years later, the welcome finally will be replayed Saturday, Aug. 16, when The Mardi Gras Line makes its inaugural run with invited guests on board along with those who fought for this rail service for years…