LAFAYETTE, LA – Amtrak ridership in Louisiana totaled 179,273 passengers in fiscal year 2023, with service provided by three main routes: the City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Sunset Limited.
The City of New Orleans route connects daily from Chicago to New Orleans, while the Crescent runs daily from New York through key southern cities like Washington, Atlanta, and Birmingham before reaching New Orleans.
The Sunset Limited operates three times weekly between Los Angeles and New Orleans, though service remains suspended east of New Orleans.
According to Amtrak, among Louisiana’s stations, New Orleans (NOL) was by far the busiest, with 156,720 riders, reflecting the city’s status as a major southern travel hub. In contrast, Schriever (SCH) was the least used station in the state, with only 912 passengers in FY 2023.
According to Amtrak, other stations, such as Hammond and Lafayette, saw moderate usage with 9,221 and 4,465 riders, respectively.
Despite these numbers, Amtrak faces ongoing challenges with on-time performance due to reliance on host railroads, which often prioritize freight over passenger trains, impacting service reliability across these routes, according to Amtrak.