Page 20 - Hancock County Tourism ~ 2023

Amtrak
Returns
There’s excitement in Bay St. Louis as plans are being finalized for the return of passenger train service. Kay Kell with the Southern Rail Commission says it will happen this year with Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula each having four stops daily. The Amtrak trains will travel from New Orleans to Mobile.
“Train service is a way to not only bring people to our wonderful
Coast communities, but to make our communities more livable,” she said. “Downtown to downtown, we can bring the world to our front door, and we can walk out our front door to the world.”
Kell, who also serves on the Hancock County Tourism Board, envisions opportunities for tourism. “We are looking at foreign visitors in New Orleans who can take the train to see our area,” she said.
“The Amtrak stop in Hancock County will be at one of the few historic landmarks remaining on the Coast, and this service gives Bay St. Louis
a much-anticipated opportunity to welcome passengers,” says Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tish
Williams. “In fact, the very anticipation of Amtrak has brought improvements to the Depot District that has attracted new small businesses.”
Kell and Williams see important economic advantages for the area. Those include:
Mobility and access - connecting people to places for jobs, schools, health care and recreation who may otherwise have no means of travel. Connection to a nation-wide rail system allowing travel across the country.
Economic development initiatives in proximity to the station locations and across the Gulf Coast region. Intermodal connectivity to complete the trips via automobile, public transportation, bicycles and as pedestrians.
20 2023-2024 hancock county guide
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