Retiring Southern Rail Commission (SRC) member John Spain was instrumental in transforming the commission and focusing its efforts on restoring passenger rail in the Gulf Coast. Among many other things, his legacy is the year-old Mardi Gras line serving tens of thousands of people. T4America Senior Policy Advisor John Robert Smith reflects on John Spain’s tenure with the SRC.
For 12 years, I served on the SRC, alongside fellow Mississippians Gil Carmichael and Kay Kell. At the time, the SRC was focused, disciplined, and dedicated to running new passenger rail, and in fact did so, including the Gulf Coast Limited in 1996 and 1997. But over time, the SRC lost its drive. Many of us left. But when John Spain began his term as an SRC commissioner, he brought with him a renewed purpose for the organization at exactly the right moment.
As a member of the executive committee, John made it clear that the measure of our collective success would not be another meeting or pronouncement, but actually running a new train. He was singular in that goal, and never lost sight of it.
Working alongside fellow commissioners Knox Ross, Greg White, and so many other dedicated commissioners and partners, John helped the SRC not only become one of the most effective regional passenger rail organizations in the country but also the model for future regional rail commissions and the powerful force for rail that it is today. The commission built relationships on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures, and with Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, chambers of commerce, local elected officials, and anyone else willing to open the door. They asked boldly, advocated relentlessly, and never stopped pushing until passenger rail became impossible to ignore.
When Transportation for America was brought into this work years ago, we were trusted to advance a vision that many believed was still years away. As new staff joined our team, fresh-faced and enthusiastic, they found themselves immediately welcomed into a partnership defined by collaboration and ambition. John embraced each new face, recognizing that building a stronger movement meant investing in the people who would carry it forward.
The Southern Rail Commission wasn’t going to become more effective by doing more of the same. John understood that if the goal was transformational change, the organization itself had to evolve. Today, the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service stands as proof that persistence matters. What was once an ambitious vision is now a reality, carrying riders across the Gulf Coast, demonstrating that passenger rail remains a powerful tool for economic development, tourism, and regional connectivity.
As two passionate people, John and I sometimes butted heads, but I could always count on his tireless advocacy and absolute commitment to the cause. He believed deeply in the work, and he inspired others to believe alongside him.
John has recently retired from these efforts, and he will be sorely missed. The new Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is approaching its first full year of operation with significantly higher ridership than projected and the most positive on-board service in the nation. John fought for that, and he deserves our respect and admiration in doing so. He certainly has mine, and by John’s own measure, his service to the SRC has been a great success: He ran that new train.
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