The TLNC, led by the Center of Logistics, Trade, and Transportation Research Professor, Dr. Yuanyuan Zhang, conducted an economic impact study for the Southern Rail Commission to explore passenger rail service restoration on the Gulf Coast. This study estimated the benefits of establishing an European-style rail service along the Gulf Coast and showed the economic growth at the state and county levels for Mississippi,  Alabama and Louisiana. The benefits detailed increased tourism spending, employment, value-added, and economic output resulting from expenditures related to railway construction, station renovation, rail service operations, and potential train car maintenance and assembly services provided by Talgo Incorporated of Spain. From 1993 through 2005 Amtrak operated an extension of the Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Service with night-time stops through the region, as part of a transcontinental Los Angeles-Florida run. For various reasons (including the route length and carrier operating conditions), successful on-time performance proved to be elusive, hindering the train's ridership and hence its financial performance. Additionally, the lack of day-time train service hindered ridership. Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, service has been suspended east of New Orleans.