Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service is surging far beyond expectations, with more than 46,000 riders since its Aug. 18 launch and trains filling up along the Gulf Coast.
In its first 108 days, the national passenger rail operator says the line is averaging more than 420 customers a day on round trips between Mobile and New Orleans, a pace that easily outstrips projections for the route’s first year.
The service had been expected to draw 71,000 riders in 12 months, but “we are well on-track to double the original estimate,” said Amtrak Board Chairman Anthony “Tony” Coscia. “Demand is very high across our network.”…