MOBILE — The Southern Rail Commission and Amtrak are the closest they’ve ever been in 12 years to restoring passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, officials said Wednesday.

Officials with Amtrak, elected officials and those representing the SRC gave an update on the progress of returning the train service during a meeting at Mobile Government Plaza.

Among the topics discussed at the meeting were when could the train service return, what the next step will be for train stations and getting CSX on board with the service.

Twelve years ago, Hurricane Katrina wiped out passenger service along the Gulf Coast, and since then, an effort has been made to get its return.

See Wednesday’s newspaper for the complete story.