The City of New Orleans Northbound Amtrak Train No. 58 will stop at 285 Cherry St. in Marks as of Friday.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday and the project has been in the making for 20 years.
This project is funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration and appropriated through the Mississippi Department of Transportation with a 20 percent local match from Quitman County. The local match was secured by a grant of $150,000 from the Mississippi Development Authority, and a $300,000 grant from Delta Regional Authority was awarded to help fund this project at a cost of nearly $1.2 million.
“After nearly two decades of planning, patience, and perseverance, Marks has many reasons to celebrate this monumentous occasion,” U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said in a press release.
“Travelers, tourists, and residents will now have access to safe, efficient, and cost-effective passenger rail service to this culturally-rich destination along the busy New Orleans to Chicago corridor. I was proud to work with Quitman County, the Mississippi congressional delegation, and our railroad representatives to remove the roadblocks to this project, which I believe will benefit so many Mississippians in this seven-county region.”
The ribbon cutting will be followed by a community-wide cookout with music provided by Mississippi country artist Steve Azar. For additional information visit www.quitmancountyms.org.
