NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Amtrak is set to roll out its long-awaited Mardi Gras Service, a twice-daily passenger train connecting Mobile (Ala.) to New Orleans, with stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, beginning Monday (Aug. 18).

Trains will depart Mobile at 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., arriving in New Orleans at 10:30 a.m. and 8:13 p.m., respectively.

Return departures from New Orleans are scheduled for 7:35 a.m. (arriving in Mobile at 11:18 a.m.) and 4:30 p.m. (arriving in Mobile at 9:14 p.m.).

One-way coach fares start as low as $15, though prices vary by demand and day. Amtrak offers discounts for students, seniors, veterans and children.

Elected leaders and transportation officials celebrated the impending launch Saturday at a press conference inside Union Terminal.

New Orleans mayor L

See Full Page