Amtrak, Memphis restore 'New Orleans' train service

Local leaders and Amtrak officials have welcomed the restoration of daily service by the Amtrak City of New Orleans train at Memphis Central Station.

An underground problem on city property just south of the station resulted in detours by the train and the closure of the station's parking lot from April 23, 2008 until last week.

Memphis Area Transit Authority owns Central Station and used the nearly six months of service detours to spruce up the station's train platform.

More than 54,870 passengers were ticketed to and from Memphis in the fiscal year just ended and ridership on the Amtrak City of New Orleans continues to grow, according to Amtrak.

Additionally, ridership on all Amtrak trains continues to grow, with the 28.7 million total for the period October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008, topping the 25,847,531 for the previous 12 months by 11.1 percent. Total ticket revenue for the fiscal year reached $1.7 billion, a 14.2 percent increase over the $1.5 billion in FY07.