MEADVILLE — Call it the Natchez Limited.

Leaders from Adams, Franklin and Lincoln County gathered in Meadville Thursday to rally behind the proposal of a passenger train line starting in Brookhaven, which would pass though Meadville, Bude and Roxie on its way to Natchez.

Rep. Bobby Moak, D — Bogue Chitto, pre-filed Wednesday a bill that would authorize the Mississippi Development Authority to take out bonds for the purchase of passenger cars for the proposed line.

He filed a similar bill during the 2014 session, but it died in committee.

Moak said the idea of a passenger rail line was first floated five years ago, when the 66-mile Brookhaven-Natchez line, which is owned by Natchez Railway, was in danger of being closed.

At the time, the plan was developed as a way to generate enough rail fees to keep the line open, he said, but the renewed push comes just days after Gov. Phil Bryant stated he wants the state to spend an additional $5 million on tourism annually.

The train line could be one of the ways the area develops tourism, Moak said.

“In Napa Valley, which is wine country, they opened a line to tour that area, but as they have developed that, now there are people who go out there just to ride the train,” he said.

Isle of Capri Casino Manager Dick Stewart, who once helped organize a passenger line from Reno, Nev., to the San Francisco area, said such a line can support tourism in a unique way.

“It is a fun, unique way to get somewhere, and it supports all the communities in-between,” he said. “It is a good way to move people.”

Natchez Mayor Butch Brown said the Brookhaven-Natchez line is the last operating rail line in Southwest Mississippi, and adding an “excursion line” for people taking day trips is another way to add to the 20,000 rail cars moving in and out of Natchez annually.

“When we have our tri-centennial in 2016, day trippers are going to be needed because we are out of rooms,” Brown said. “Sixty-five percent of the population in the United States is within 500 miles of Brookhaven, within driving distance.”

Meadville Mayor Lane Reed said the effort to get the passenger line started has been a partnership between the leaders of all the areas that will be affected by it.

“We have realized that what is good for Natchez is good for Meadville, and what is good for Bude and Brookhaven is good for Franklin County and Roxie,” he said.

“This (passenger line proposal) has been talked about all over the state, but nobody has the resources we have in Southwest Mississippi.”

Brookhaven has a railroad depot, while Natchez has a federal transportation hub, Reed said. Bude and Meadville likewise have historic ties to the railroad.

The proposal still has some details to be worked out, including what organization will ultimately run the passenger line. One of the possibilities discussed Thursday was for the operator to be the Southwest Mississippi Rail Road Authority.

SWMRRA Chairman Dan Bland said how the passenger cars will get from one end of the line to the other is also still a matter of discussion.

“Passenger cars are out regarding hooking them up to the supply trains because (supply trains) are pulling hazardous materials,” he said. “That is something we will have to work out, something we will have to make sure we are clear on.”

Reed said the effort has the support of the area’s legislators, but will need others to show their backing as well.

“This is asking for seed money from an organization that provides that,” Reed said. “For too long, Southwest Mississippi has been behind on saying, ‘Hey, Jackson, we need this.’”