Gulf Breeze (train)

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Gulf Breeze
Amtrak Gulf Breeze at Montgomery station, June 1990.jpg
The Gulf Breeze at Montgomery in June 1990
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
SystemAmtrak
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleAlabama
First serviceOctober 27, 1989
Last serviceApril 1, 1995
Former operator(s)Amtrak
Route
StartBirmingham, Alabama
Stops6
EndMobile, Alabama
Distance travelled275 miles (443 km)
Service frequencyDaily each way
Train number(s)519, 520
On-board services
Class(es)Standard and first class
Seating arrangementsReserved Coach Seat
Sleeping arrangementsRoomette
Bedrooms
Catering facilitiesDining Car
Lounge Car
Baggage facilitiesChecked baggage available at stations north of Birmingham
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)CSX Transportation
Route map
Legend
Amtrak
0 mi
Birmingham, Alabama
96 mi
154 km
Montgomery
140 mi
225 km
Greenville
177 mi
285 km
Evergreen
201 mi
323 km
Brewton
230 mi
370 km
Atmore
250 mi
402 km
Bay Minette
275 mi
443 km
Mobile

The Gulf Breeze was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama. It ran from 1989 until 1995. North of Birmingham the Crescent provided through service to New York City.

History[]

The Gulf Breeze at Montgomery in March 1995, days before being discontinued

Amtrak introduced the Gulf Breeze on October 27, 1989 as a section of the Crescent (New York CityNew Orleans).[1] Costs of operation were split between Amtrak and the state, with the latter contributing about $1.3 million per year. Annual ridership in FY 1994, the last full year of operation, was 7,737. In December 1994 Amtrak announced that the Gulf Breeze would be discontinued as part of a broad cost-cutting measure which saw other services eliminated or reduced.[2] The last Gulf Breeze ran on 1 April 1995, and was replaced by bus service.[3]

Later that year attempts were made under the auspices of the Southern High Speed Rail Commission to resurrect the Gulf Breeze as a Mobile–New Orleans service, sharing part of the Sunset Limited's route. This was eventually realized as the Gulf Coast Limited, a joint effort between Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana which operated 1996–1997.[4]

Route[]

The Gulf Breeze split from the Crescent at Birmingham and ran south through Montgomery to Mobile on the Gulf of Mexico, while the Crescent continued southwest through Mississippi to New Orleans. At the time Mobile was served also by the Sunset Limited (Orlando, FloridaLos Angeles, California).[5]

The Gulf Breeze served the following communities, in southbound order:

Of these, Birmingham is still served by the Crescent, while Mobile and Atmore were served by the Sunset Limited prior to Hurricane Katrina, which saw the shortening of that line to New Orleans. The remainder no longer have passenger rail service.

References[]

  1. ^ "Gulf Breeze button". Amtrak.com. November 14, 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  2. ^ Diehl, Stan (15 Dec 1994). "CUTS BIRMINGHAM TO MOBILE LINK RAIL SERVICE PRUNED NATIONWIDE". Birmingham News.
  3. ^ "AMTRAK ELIMINATES GULF BREEZE TRAIN SERVICE; REPLACES WITH THRUWAY BUS SERVICE". PR Newswire. 3 Apr 1995.
  4. ^ "The little train route that could gets the go-ahead". Coast Business. 10 Apr 1995. p. 7.
  5. ^ Durantine, Peter (13 Nov 1989). "Orient Express-Style Train Launches Washington to Chicago Run". Washington Business Journal. p. 31.

External links[]

Media related to Gulf Breeze (train) at Wikimedia Commons

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