With still no timetable for Amtrak trains to roll between Mobile and New Orleans, the nation’s passenger rail operator is warning people to stay off the tracks.

That’s because Amtrak trains are now running practice routes along the Gulf Coast rail line as part of so-called “familiarization trips” that will last for several months. Amtrak crews are operating the passenger locomotives and railcars between Mobile and New Orleans in preparation of the long-awaited restart of Amtrak service along the Gulf Coast route later this year.

The service, as proposed, includes twice-daily trips between Mobile and New Orleans with stops in four Mississippi coastal cities — Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula.

Amtrak has also released some humorous short videos, and are posting them to Facebook, as part of an effort at warning people not to walk near train tracks.

“Remember, when you’re out walking Fido, don’t stroll where trains go,” one of the videos say. “Stay back from the tracks!”

“In the first day and a half, we had five instances of close calls of people dodging the trains where people were not behaving properly at the crossroads,” said Marc Magliari, spokesman with Amtrak. “

He said that Amtrak is emphasizing safety through a program its initiating with the Southern Rail Commission, the Mississippi-based Gulf Regional Planning Commission and nonprofit Operation Lifesaver that is considered the nationally-recognized leader for rail safety education.

Amtrak officials were in Pascagoula and Gulfport on Wednesday to discuss rail safety.

The safety reminders come 17 years since Amtrak trains have operated along the Gulf Coast rail route. Though freight trains continue to roll along the Gulf Coast, the Amtrak trains are smaller, lighter, and faster and could come as a surprise to unsuspecting pedestrians.

“This train is running a good bit faster than a normal freight train,” said Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) that includes representatives from Alabama and has long championed the restart of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast. The route has not had routine Amtrak service since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2015.

Ross said the safety awareness is something that Amtrak does all over the U.S., and is nothing new to the Gulf Coast. But he said it’s a good reminder as Amtrak operates trains as part of its familiarization runs.

Ross said those trips should last “two to three months,” and the SRC and Amtrak continued to remain mum on when a restart of passenger rail service will commence in Mobile.

Amtrak officials disclosed in early December that a pending settlement awaits that will end a legal proceeding before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. That proceeding involved Amtrak pitted against the rail line’s freight operators – Norfolk Southern and CSX – as well as the Alabama Port Authority.

All sides involved in the settlement have remained quiet in recent months, and no information has surfaced over when the passenger trains will start back up again. And there have been no additional filings in the case before the STB since the settlement was announced.

David Clark, president & CEO with Visit Mobile and a member of the SRC, said he believes an announcement could come within 60 days.

“I do know this thing is going down the tracks, sooner than later,” said Clark. “The primary holdup was getting the CSX, NS and Port agreeing (on the restart). Now that they are agreeing, it’s a doable thing.”

Ross said rail advocates are awaiting the Federal Railroad Administration’s decision on a grant application through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program.

The SRC applied for $179 million in CRISI funds to support a variety of capital improvements along the rail line. The program has $1.4 billion set aside from capital improvements along rail infrastructure nationwide.

“This is going to result in a good railroad for passenger purposes and freight,” said Ross. “Everyone is getting something out of this. The end results are good and we’re very happy with it. And we’re delighted the train will come to downtown Mobile.”

Ross said there are efforts underway in Mississippi to begin marketing the train, led by Coastal Mississippi tourism officials.

“They have found that marketing regionally has made a difference and this train is really giving them an opportunity do that and to market the Mobile-to-New Orleans (route) as a true region,” said Ross.

He said that marketing foreign tourists will be a focal point.

Clark, with Visit Mobile, said he anticipates collaborating more with his counterparts in the nearby states.

“I think there needs to be a regional approach toward marketing and not an individual approach,” he said.