Newsletter 4/25/25: Amtrak ‘Mardi Gras’ Service and the Sunshine Corridor

Amtrak ‘Mardi Gras’ Service Launching This Summer

Amtrak has reached agreements for the new ‘Mardi Gras’ service to launch this summer. The twice-daily intercity train will connect New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. There will be morning and evening departures from both cities.

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Press Release: Amtrak Mardi Gras Route

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service to Begin This Summer

Study Approved for Sunshine Corridor

The governing board for SunRail has approved a Project Development and Environment study of the Sunshine Corridor. The Sunshine Corridor creates various highly-desired connections to major employment and tourist centers in Orlando. Local regional rail SunRail and private intercity rail Brightline will share the corridor to cater to commuters and tourists alike. A finalized route has not yet been decided on.

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Florida’s Sunshine Corridor Builds Upon State’s High-Speed Rail Plan

SunRail Board Approves $6 Million Study for Brightline-Linked Sunshine Corridor

Acela at platform level

Momentum for Better Trains

When: Friday, May 9 at 12pm CT

Speaker: Nolan Hicks, NYU – Marron Institute for Urban Management

The new “Momentum” report from NYU’s Marron Institute and the Transit Costs Project looks at options for quicker trips and making passenger rail service competitive with driving and flying, by using existing rail lines. “Momentum” seeks to speed service not by focusing on top speeds, but by focusing on increasing average speeds across a route. It does this by introducing a high-throughput infrastructure framework, to reduce delays and dead time.

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Two construction workers a working in a railroad tunnel.

AI-led Risk Forecasting and Risk Management Within the Rail and Transit Industry

When: Tuesday, May 13 at 11am CT

Speakers: Richard Bendall-Jones & Alexi Kostopoulos, nPlan

nPlan has worked on major rail projects across the world, including with Network Rail, HS2, City of Ottawa Stage 2, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), MTR in Hong Kong, and more. Join us for an overview and discussion of how AI can revolutionize the way teams reduce risk during the delivery of major capital projects. We’ll also present real-world examples of how AI has been implemented on major rail projects.

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What's the Latest on Federal Funding?

When: Friday, May 16 at 11am CT / 12pm ET on Zoom

Speaker: Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America and Rick Harnish, High Speed Rail Alliance Executive Director

The first months of Donald Trump’s return to the White House have brought sweeping changes to federal transportation priorities and funding, plus ongoing questions and concerns. A power struggle over federal funding has put investment in limbo for new and improved trains and transit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and other measures.

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Funds for North Carolina S-Line Released

Funds for North Carolina S-Line Released

How Virginia and North Carolina are Building a Publicly Owned Railroad The Federal Railroad Administration has released $550 million for the S-Line, a passenger-rail project in North Carolina and Virginia. The money is part of a $1.09 billion grant awarded in 2023 to...

Corridor ID Program at Risk

Corridor ID Program at Risk

Corridors to be removed and funding reduced Recently, we’ve been running stories about big infrastructure projects that are making real progress. Northeast Corridor projects—including the Portal North Bridge, Frederick Douglass Tunnel, and the Susquehanna bridge—are...

Help Shape the 2027 Illinois State Rail Plan

Help Shape the 2027 Illinois State Rail Plan

You can provide feedback to IDOT through October 2026. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is working to update the 2023 State Rail Plan, with a final draft expected July 2027. State rail plans set future goals for freight and passenger rail. They can be...