Dozens of birds fly over the still bayou as the train rushes past, leaving nothing but blue skies over the marshland. In no time this serene scene is replaced by bustling cityscape as I arrive in New Orleans.
It’s the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region 20 years ago that a passenger train is running along the Gulf Coast from Mobile, Alabama, to New Orleans in Louisiana.
The new twice-daily Amtrak Mardi Gras service – named after the carnival celebration that takes over the cities every February – is allowing passengers to travel across the states for a day trip or more, from Mobile, stopping at Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St Louis in Mississippi, and New Orleans.
The scenery changes so quickly on the journey that even the short wait for my hot drink in the cafe on board makes me nervous in case I miss any of the sights, my camera constantly capturing wide rivers, small communities and the marshes just east of New Orleans.
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