Members of the Rail Passengers Association started a 13-day trip Saturday of the south.
The goal of the tour is to make the case for increased and improved commuter rail service and greater access to intercity rail as well as promote the work of the association’s local chapters and affiliated groups, and increase membership.
The tour includes stops in Greenwood, Biloxi, and Meridian in Mississippi and Mobile and Birmingham in Alabama. The group also will travel to New Orleans.
The group will travel through the City of New Orleans and Crescent rail lines as well as on bus. Traveling via bus will allow the group to experience how replacement services do not carry the same quantifiable economic benefits as a rail station, the association said.
“The City of New Orleans and Crescent routes have boosted economic opportunity for towns that have made their stations a featured destination,” Joe Aiello, field coordinator, said. “Restoration of the Gulf Coast service is a crucial step in the advancement of passenger rail and the towns that support it.”
The group will meet with rail groups, local officials, and economic leaders, including Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams, Meridian Mayor Percy Bland, and Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gillich, and will attend a meetup at Port Orleans Brewing Co.