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# Little engine that did
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/little-engine-that-could/
- Published: 2026-10-18T23:55:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T00:00:46.000Z
- Description: Amtrak in talks to extend service to Baton Rouge.
- Author: Mukul Verma

Amtrak’s [Mardi Gras Service](https://www.redeyebr.com/a-better-way-to-coast/) is off to a fast start—one so astounding it surprised even the railroad’s top boss.

Amtrak expected 71,000 riders between New Orleans and Mobile during the service’s first year. Instead, more than twice that many climbed aboard.

“You don’t think of swampland as being beautiful,” interim Amtrak President Byl Herrmann [told The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2026/10/16/amtrak-is-making-some-big-changes-heres-what-passengers-can-expect/?ref=redeyebr.com). “But it’s an absolutely gorgeous trip.”

Now Amtrak is discussing an extension of the 145-mile route to Baton Rouge with Louisiana officials.

Early plans treated Baton Rouge-to-New Orleans service as a stand-alone route, starting near downtown Baton Rouge with whistle stops in the Baton Rouge Health District, Gonzales, LaPlace, New Orleans’ airport and the city’s main train station next to the Superdome.

Special trains for college and professional football games were also envisioned, highlighting the experience—and advantages—of taking the train rather than driving to Tiger Stadium.

The Mardi Gras Service will test that idea this year with special stops in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, for the 48th annual Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival in November.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to help more visitors take part in the festival and enjoy all that Ocean Springs has to offer,” said Cynthia Sutton, head of the local chamber and tourism bureau.

Whether trains roll between Baton Rouge and New Orleans depends, for now, on Gov. Jeff Landry. His predecessor, John Bel Edwards, backed the service and set aside funding for it.

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