Texas by Train
Most travelers visiting Texas arrive either by airline or by car, but there’s another mode of transportation that ought to be considered. Passenger trains are a delightful, relaxing way to see the countryside. You needn’t worry about standing in line to go through an airport security check or getting stuck in rush hour traffic on a freeway. When traveling by train, those are other people’s worries.
Though I’ve not done as much traveling by train as some rail-riding buffs, I have taken Amtrak trains from Central Texas to Washington, D.C. and back. And I’ve also traveled by train in Mexico, a round trip several years ago aboard the Aztec Eagle from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City. On both of those trips, I saw more scenery than would ever have been possible if going by car. And of course, an airliner would have whisked us from one destination to another without seeing virtually any of the territory in between.
It should be conceded that the airlines will get you there and back faster and that travel by car is less costly, especially when the entire family is making the trip, but traveling by train is an experience that’s usually worth the extra time and expense. Actually, Amtrak fares are competitive with airlines, especially when sleeping accommodations and meals are included. And the time factor, in comparison to auto travel, changes when a trip would involve more than one day of driving. When you have to drive two or three days to reach your destination, you’ll have to spend a night or two in a motel or hotel along the way. When you’re on board a train, it keeps rolling right through the night, and there’s no need to spend more of your vacation budget on lodging.
Amtrak, the nation’s passenger rail service, has three lines operating in Texas: the Sunset Limited, the Texas Eagle and the Heartland Flyer. Two of the three serve San Antonio, the state’s most popular tourist destination city, and Amtrak offers ticketing for connections by motorcoach (bus) to many of the Texas cities not served by its trains. Utilizing the combination of trains and buses, you can get to Texas from virtually anywhere in the United States and complete your trip at any of a lengthy list of destinations.
The Sunset Limited operates on a historic transcontinental route through the southern United States between Los Angeles, Calif., and Orlando, Fla. The two trains that make up the Sunset Limited run three days a week in each direction. The eastbound train leaves Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, and the entire run takes three days. For example, departing Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. Sunday you’ll be scheduled to arrive in Orlando at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday. On the westbound Sunset Limited, you’ll pull out of Orlando at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Arrival time in Los Angeles is 8:05 a.m. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
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