John Hilbert stood by the railroad tracks at the Bay St. Louis station on a sweltering Gulf Coast morning, waiting.

He was part of a small crowd of residents, travelers, tourism officials and city leaders gathered Monday to welcome the first passengers rolling in from New Orleans on Amtrak's newest rail line. And though surrounded by official boosters of the region, Hilbert, who was meeting his friend, made as good of a pitch as anyone for what the new service could bring.

"I think (the Amtrak train) is going to expose people throughout the country to how beautiful it is, the Gulf Coast," he said. "There's the gambling, there's the beaches, there's the environment, there's the shopping."

After dignitaries and members of the media gathered Saturday at the New Orleans Union Passenger Term

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