Amtrak Mardi Gras Train Involved in Fatal Crash Wednesday

(KMDL-FM) Amtrak's Mardi Gras passenger rail service across the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama Gulf Coast has once again been involved in a fatal crash. This brings the total number of fatal crashes involving the recently activated service to four. The total number of fatalities in those crashes is listed as 6.

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The Mardi Gras Service, which took twenty years to restore following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, has only been in operation since August of last year. While the number of fatal crashes has been reported as four, the trains have been involved in several other non-fatal incidents.

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Where Was the Latest Fatal Crash Involving Amtrak's Mardi Gras Service?

The fatal crash that occurred last night happened near Irvington, Alabama. According to a Mobile, Alabama, television station, the victim was reportedly sitting on the tracks about 6 pm and was struck by the train.

Few details about the victim have been released. Authorities confirmed the victim was a female and is believed to have been homeless. This marks the third fatal crash in the greater Mobile area. In February, a collision near Theodore, Alabama, took the lives of a mother and her eight-year-old daughter.

Less than a month ago, the Mardi Gras Service was involved in another crash near Grand Bay, Alabama. In that incident, a commercial truck got stuck on the tracks near the intersection of Highway 90 and Highway 188.

Recent Amtrak Crashes Have Louisiana Authorities Concerned About Safety Issues

These kinds of incidents have raised questions and concerns among municipal governments along the train's route regarding public safety and what can be done to improve the safety of the service.

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But don't expect the Mardi Gras Service to go away again. The train has proven to be even more popular than first expected, as ridership has crossed the 100,000 mark as of April. The service even expanded operations during the Mardi Gras season to bring even more guests into New Orleans and Mobile for Carnival celebrations.

Authorities in Alabama are continuing their investigation into Wednesday's fatal train crash. We remind you that train safety is everyone's business. Please look both ways at all rail crossings, after all, the train can only cross the road in one place, you might as well look.