Marks station is a

passenger rail A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

Marks, Mississippi Marks is a city in and the county seat of Quitman County, Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,444. History The town of Marks was named after Leopold Marks (1851-1910) who left Germany to avoid conscription by the Germ ...

. The station is located on Amtrak's '' City of New Orleans'' line. The station opened on May 4, 2018. The Illinois Central Gulf railroad did not operate passenger trains through Marks Mississippi before Amtrak, so there was no station here. The development for the Marks train station is a culmination of two decades of work by civic leaders in Quitman County, Mississippi. Initially, $79,500 in funds from the City of Marks and Quitman County were used to construct a platform with wheelchair access and a glass and steel "Amshack" structure. County leaders had hoped the train stops would commence in September 1999. In 2010, Mississippi

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Roger Wicker Roger Frederick Wicker (born July 5, 1951) is an American politician, attorney, and United States Air Force, Air Force veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Mississi ...

met with

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

(CN) officials to negotiate a flag-stop in Marks. Senator Wicker announced in 2015 that an agreement had been reached by Quitman County, Amtrak, and Canadian National to establish a permanent stop in Marks. To construct the $1.2 million station, a number of grants were awarded. A $500,000 grant was allocated by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

(FHWA) via the

Mississippi Department of Transportation The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Mississippi. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in s ...

(MDOT), a 20% matching grant from Mississippi Development Authority that was worth $150,000, and a $300,000 grant from the

Delta Regional Authority The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a Federal-State partnership whose mission it is to improve the quality of life for the residents of the Mississippi Delta. The Delta Regional Authority serves 252 counties and parishes in parts of eight state ...

. Groundbreaking for the station occurred in October 2016. The station's ribbon cutting and maiden stop took place on May 4, 2018.

References

External links

Marks Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide – Train Web)
Buildings and structures in Quitman County, Mississippi Amtrak stations in Mississippi Railway stations in the United States opened in 2018 2018 establishments in Mississippi {{US-train-stub