Mobile, AL (MOE)

Mobile attracts visitors interested in its unique culture, shaped by traditions passed down from the varied peoples who have called it home. Sited where Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta meet, the city also offers ample opportunities for outdoor exploration and recreation.

11 S. Water Street
Mobile, AL 36602

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2024): N/A
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2024): N/A

Ownerships
Routes Served
Contact
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Facility Ownership: N/A
Parking Lot Ownership: City of Mobile
Platform Ownership: CSX Transportation (CSXT)
Track Ownership: CSX Transportation (CSXT)

Amtrak Mardi Gras Service

Todd Stennis
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnol@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Mobile is located on the northwest corner of Mobile Bay, which receives the waters of the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley rivers. The area where these five watercourses meet and intermingle is known as the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. Dotted with islands, open water, marshes, swamps and forests, the delta extends northward for some 250,000 acres. Along its stretches, visitors encounter more than 300 species of birds, otters, turtles, alligators and other wildlife, as well as dazzling flora. The delta also provides ample opportunities for exploration and recreation. About 20 miles south of the city, the bay meets the Mississippi Sound, separated from the Gulf of America by a chain of barrier islands.

The Amtrak station, consisting of a platform, is located downtown and across from Cooper Riverside Park overlooking the Mobile River. Within a short walk, one may reach the convention center to the north, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf and the Alabama Cruise Terminal to the south, and Fort Condé to the west. Numerous Wave bus routes operate within a few blocks of the station, as does the moda! circulator that makes a loop through downtown, serving hotels, government agencies, shopping, entertainment venues and historic sites. The station is also easily accessible from Interstate 10.

The platform sits in the area formerly occupied by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) depot, which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and demolished two years later. It featured a strong horizontal massing in buff brick punctuated by a vertical pavilion with decorative stone-faced elements bearing the “L&N” logo. Opened in 1956, the facility replaced an earlier station on the site, and it was used by Amtrak when it variously operated service to Mobile.

Amtrak restored passenger rail service to Mobile via the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service (New Orleans-Mobile) on August 18, 2025. The service name references the long history of Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, New Orleans and the communities of coastal Mississippi. Amtrak operates this service under contracts with the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, financial support by the City of Mobile, and with the long-time backing of the Southern Rail Commission, an interstate compact working on behalf of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation support operating expenses for this route and are funding improvements for freight and Amtrak trains.

At New Orleans, the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service allows same-day connections in both directions daily to the famed City of New Orleans (New Orleans-Memphis-Chicago), as well as next-day connections to the Crescent  (New Orleans-Atlanta-New York) and Sunset Limited  (New Orleans-Houston-Tucson-Los Angeles).

Amtrak formerly served Mobile via the Gulf Coast Limited (Mobile-New Orleans) from April 1984 to January 1985. The states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana funded this temporary service to promote regional tourism tied to the Louisiana World Exposition held in New Orleans. It was followed by the Gulf Breeze, which operated from October 1989 until April 1995. It ran as a section of the Crescent via Birmingham, Alabama. Through state and federal funding, the Gulf Coast Limited was revived from June 1996 until March 1997.

Finally, the city was also served by the Sunset Limited from March 1993 until August 2005, when this Los Angeles-New Orleans service was extended east to Miami, and subsequently truncated to Orlando. Amtrak halted service east of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, which severely damaged the region’s rail infrastructure. 

Western Alabama was primarily home to the Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples when the first Europeans – mainly the Spanish and then the French – began exploring the area in the mid-16th century. The Choctaw occupied the lower two thirds of present-day western Alabama while the Chickasaw were to the north. Both peoples lived in networks of villages and pursued agriculture as well as hunting to meet their needs.  

Mobile was founded by the French in 1702, led by brothers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Although they were the first to attempt a permanent settlement in the area – at a site some 20 miles north of present-day Mobile along the Mobile River at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff – they were not the first Europeans to explore the region.

Spaniard Alonzo Álvarez Pineda arrived in 1519 while charting the Gulf of America. He was followed two decades later by Hernando de Soto in his search for gold. In 1682, Rene-Robert, Cavalier de La Salle, claimed the land – and others drained by the Mississippi River – for France. This large territory was referred to as “Louisiana” in honor of King Louis XIV. Initial settlements were limited to areas along the Gulf Coast and the lower Mississippi River.

The original French settlement, known as Fort Louis de la Louisiane, proved short lived, as it was threatened by flooding and epidemics, as well as raids by the Alabama American Indians, who at one point severely damaged the fortifications. For safety, Bienville encouraged a move south to Mobile Bay in 1711. The new settlement at present-day Mobile would serve as the capital of French Louisiana until 1719 when it was moved to what is now Biloxi, Mississippi. In those early years, European settlers established a fur trade with regional American Indian tribes to meet the demands of the European market.

To protect the community, the French initially constructed a small wooden fort along the river in what is now the eastern end of downtown Mobile. In the 1720s, it was replaced by the original Fort Condé. Built of brick, stone and earth, the new, larger fort encompassed more than 10 acres. It took the shape of a four-pointed star with sentry towers and a moat around the perimeter. The interior included a parade ground, two barracks, a magazine, a bake house and other uses.

Mobile Bay’s shallow channel meant that large cargo vessels couldn’t dock directly at the community. These ships were often offloaded at Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the southern side of the bay. From there, both people and goods would be transferred to smaller ships and transported to Mobile.

Defeated by Great Britain during the French and Indian War, France lost control of Louisiana in 1763. Spain gained possession of the French territory west of the Mississippi River, including New Orleans, while Britain took control of land to the east. The latter region subsequently fell under Spanish and then American control in 1795. That year, the United States and Spain signed a treaty establishing the border of Spanish Florida – which included present-day Florida and the coastal regions of Mississippi and Alabama. The treaty allowed American settlement to proceed in central Mississippi and Alabama and permitted Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River. 

The Mississippi Territory was organized in 1798. By 1812, when the United States annexed the coastal regions disputed by Spain, the territory had grown to include most of present-day Mississippi and Alabama. The western half became the state of Mississippi in 1817, with the east admitted as the state of Alabama two years later. The continuing dispute with Spain over the coastal areas was eventually settled under the Onís-Adams Treaty of 1819, by which Spain also ceded present-day Florida. Advancing American settlement following the War of 1812 also led to conflict with the Choctaw and Chickasaw, who were pressured to cede their lands.

American control of Mobile, established in 1813, proved beneficial to the city’s fortunes. It began to attract new settlers – and capital – looking to take advantage of trade via the Mobile River and its tributaries reaching far to the north. Business leaders lobbied for improvements to Mobile harbor to allow access for larger ships. New farms and large plantations in the interior used the river system to ship products like cotton to market.

To make room for city expansion, the U.S. Congress in 1818 authorized the sale and demolition of old Fort Condé – known under American rule as Fort Charlotte. It was subsequently pulled down, and the debris was used to shore up the marshy land along the river where Water Street now runs. New warehouses were built in the blocks along the water, and Dauphin Street, which terminated at the river, became a commercial spine hosting various shops, merchants and other businesses. By 1825, Mobile counted 3,000 residents.

A merchant class arose in the city to foster trade and exchange, so much so that by the eve of the Civil War, Mobile’s population had grown ten-fold. It ranked as one of the largest cities in the South and one of the country’s busiest ports with far-reaching trade connections to the rest of the U.S. and to Europe. Growth largely continued until the outbreak of the war in 1861. Although Mobile remained in Confederate hands for most of the conflict, it was blockaded by the U.S. Navy, severely curtailing shipping.

In August 1864, Union forces achieved victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay – the last major naval engagement of the Civil War. Since 1862, Confederate forces had been working on earthen fortifications to protect the city’s land side, presenting the Union Army with a significant deterrent to attack. Taking the city from the water – by first choking off access to the bay – seemed a better option.

An 18-ship fleet, including gunboats and ironclads, led by Admiral David Farragut, broke through Confederate defenses protecting the bay. These included Forts Morgan and Gaines on the barrier islands along the bay’s southern edge, and mines – then called “torpedoes” – throughout the main channel leading to the port. This gave rise to one of the most famous quotes in American naval history: Farragut exclaimed, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” as his fleet entered the bay.

Although the Union controlled the bay – and could therefore stop Confederate blockade runners that had proved an important lifeline for Southern supply lines – the city of Mobile did not fall into Union hands until April 1865. Unlike other major Southern ports, Mobile remained largely intact throughout the war. Destruction only came in May 1865, when an armory on the waterfront exploded, killing hundreds and destroying blocks along the river and even sinking some ships. The resulting fire then spread through the northern part of the city.

Rebuilding after the war was slow. The cotton trade, which had provided much of Mobile’s wealth, moved less than half the number of cotton bales as before the conflict. The economic situation continued to worsen, and the city lost population as it crawled toward bankruptcy in the late 1870s.

One bright spot during this decade was the arrival of a new rail link westward to New Orleans. On November 21, 1870, Mobile and coastal Mississippi communities gained regular passenger and freight rail service via the New Orleans, Mobile & Chattanooga Railroad (NOM&C). Planned to connect Mobile and New Orleans along the coast, the railroad would be 140 miles long. Construction got underway in 1869 and took 20 months; although relatively short, the line presented the builders with a number of obstacles, including marshy terrain and rivers and bays that needed to be bridged.  

Another problem was shipworms, which bored into and weakened the wood pilings that supported the track in marshy areas, requiring the NOM&C to rebuild sections of the railroad. The company soon found a solution to better preserve their wood – infusing it with creosote, which waterproofed the pilings and repelled shipworms and insects. 

Once the railroad had reached New Orleans, the company signaled its intention for further westward expansion by changing its name to the New Orleans, Mobile & Texas Railway Company, but that ambition was never realized in part due to the cost of the rebuilding efforts. The railroad was purchased and subsumed into the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) in 1881. 

What had once been an 18-hour trip by steamboat from New Orleans to Mobile now took just five hours by rail – making the region more accessible for travelers and business. The railroad spurred local industries along the coast, including timber harvesting – primarily yellow pine – and turpentine production, as well as seafood – which could be more easily shipped to distant markets or canned for widespread distribution.

Complementing the railroad expansion in the late 19th century were further improvements to the port backed by federal and state investment. Deepening of the shipping channel finally allowed ocean-going vessels to reach the main harbor facilities. The renewed port facilities also allowed Mobile to operate as an outlet for steel and coal exports based around Birmingham in north-central Alabama.

Timber harvesting proved a boon to Mobile’s economy as it did for other coastal communities. In 1889, businesses shipped more than one billion feet of lumber from Mobile – but these good times came to an end by the 1910s due to depletion of forest resources. Mobile’s business community looked to other opportunities, such as importing coffee and tropical fruits like bananas from South and Central America.

When World War I broke out, Mobile’s port and shipyard weren’t prepared to take advantage of federal contracts to build and repair ships, and the experience pointed to the need to prime the port facilities for growth. This effort was bolstered by the Waterman Steamship Corporation. Created in 1919 by three of the city’s leading businessmen, it developed into one of the region’s largest shipping companies. New docks, financed by the state, opened north of the main waterfront in 1928, doubling Mobile’s commercial shipping capacity.

In the early 20th century, Mobile further developed as a railroad center. About a mile northwest of the L&N depot stands the Mobile and Ohio Railroad station completed in 1907. The grand Mission Revival structure has an arcade across its front, a red tile roof, a dome crowning the center of the building, and elaborate sculptural detail including gargoyles and finials.

The Mobile and Ohio merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad in 1940 to create the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (GM&O). The merger created a system with lines linking Mobile and New Orleans north to Montgomery and Birmingham, and St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago. The imposing station building remained in passenger use until late 1958, and it was subsequently used by the GM&O for offices until 1986. Then abandoned, it fell into disrepair until an extensive rehabilitation project was undertaken by the city and a developer in the early 2000s. Today it functions as commercial office space.

The Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad arrived in January 1928, while the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway – known as the “Frisco” – was soon to follow from Pensacola, Florida.

As World War II approached, Mobile was ready to fully participate in the war effort as a major shipbuilding center. The area’s population grew by more than half as tens of thousands of newcomers flocked to the city to construct more than 200 ships during the war years. The conflict also prompted expansion of Brookley Field by the U.S. Army Air Corps. It became a major supply base in the Southeast and Caribbean and a large employer for the region.

In the second half of the 20th century, during the era of urban renewal, the old downtown underwent dramatic change. Old warehouses, cotton presses and other buildings along Front, Commerce and Water Streets near the river were torn down to make way for highways, the Municipal Auditorium and commercial construction. These actions helped spur a movement to preserve and rehabilitate remnants of the city’s antebellum era.

Today, the port remains a major economic engine for the city and state, complemented by shipbuilding and repair and industries including forest products, chemicals, steel products and seafood. Connected to the nation’s transportation system via railroads, air, truck and barge, the port processes cargo including grain, steel, cement, coal, lumber, iron ore and vehicles. It’s composed of both public and private marine terminals, warehouses and open storage areas.

The Mobile River is also the southern end of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a more than 200-mile system of canals, locks and dams connecting its two namesake rivers. Completed in 1984, the waterway passes through northeastern Mississippi and west-central Alabama, connecting more than a dozen inland ports and terminals before reaching Mobile Bay and the Gulf of America. It’s a major conduit for the export of coal and timber products.

Mobile attracts visitors interested in its unique culture, shaped by traditions passed down from its various colonial peoples. Although New Orleans is famous the world over for its Mardi Gras celebrations, Mobilians too have engaged in Carnival and Mardi Gras activities almost from the city’s founding.

Since the late 19th century, Mobile’s Mardi Gras has featured a king – known as Felix, a queen, and a Mardi Gras court of ladies and knights. They play a prominent role in the annual Mardi Gras Parade, which attracts more than 200,000 revelers. The festivities feature dozens of “mystic societies,” groups that create colorful floats and whose members wear costumes in accordance with the year’s theme. These societies, which host balls and other events for their members, are especially known for tossing Moon Pies into the cheering crowds, with some half-a-million of the sweet treats given away each year.

Mobile’s Carnival Museum presents visitors with much of this history and features photographs of celebrations dating back as far as 1886. One may also board a parade float, delve into the colorful costumes and royal regalia that marks the season and learn more about Carnival and Mardi Gras traditions.

Those interested in the city’s long, multi-faceted story should head to the History Museum of Mobile whose exhibits interpret the community’s story from pre-colonial times to the modern day. Kids will enjoy activities such as exploring a French ship, dressing in colonial clothing, weaving baskets and more. The museum also operates the nearby Colonial Fort Condé, a partial, reduced-scale reconstruction that features a barracks room from the French period and displays of artifacts and archaeological pieces related to the city’s colonial history. On select days, historical interpreters provide insights into day-to-day life during the century that the fort stood guard over Mobile.

Another History Museum site – the Africatown Heritage House – is found in the Africatown neighborhood northwest of downtown. An exhibit highlights the story of the Clotilda, which in July 1860 was the last documented slave ship to reach the United States with 110 men, women and children. The exhibit, informed by descendants of those who arrived on the Clotilda, includes part of the wreckage of the ship, which was found in 2018 in the Mobile River. Africatown was settled after the Civil War by many of those who had arrived in the United States on the Clotilda and who had regained their freedom. The community is one stop on the city’s African American Heritage Trail.

The region’s connections to the waters that shaped it are explored at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. Located on the riverfront, it offers insights into topics ranging from maritime navigation and ship design to the history and ecology of the Gulf of America. Interactive exhibits include a ship simulator that lets visitors try their hand at piloting a Coast Guard patrol boat and more.

Maritime history extends to the USS Alabama, a World War II era battleship found east of downtown and across the Mobile River. Deployed to the North Atlantic and South Pacific during the war, the ship led the remaining American Fleet into Tokyo Bay in September 1945 following the formal surrender of Japan to the Allies. Decommissioned in 1947, the USS Alabama made its way to Mobile in the 1960s to become a memorial to Alabamans from all military branches who served in armed conflicts of the United States. Today it welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is financed in part through funds made available by the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and the City of Mobile, Alabama.