Texas passenger train service is in immediate need of improved routes and greater frequencies. Rather than rehash a decade of the problems, let's look to the future and how to make improvements. Conventional wisdom holds that reducing the operating deficit is the priority. This does not seem possible with the current scheduling regimen. Reducing routes and frequencies will only make matters worse as connections become less available and overhead costs are spread fewer ways.
Many expansions of service and advertising of offerings will be required. A lot of the expansions will be centered around Texas biggest economic engines and fastest growing cities - the Texas Triangle. Providing two trains a day around each leg of this large geographic area will take six trains. So, where to begin from where we are now?
What is most endangered? The Sunset Limited. This train forms a very important part of our future passenger train network. Implementing a daily schedule for the Sunset Limited is Texas most immediate passenger train priority. As the fourth largest city in the nation, Houston needs the passenger service. As a common target for discontinuation because twice weekly is not feasible, the Sunset Limited needs the upgrade. This is where Texans should rally. This should happen before time runs out and the train is dropped altogether because a twice weekly train is not "feasible."
A temporary fix is possible. The trip from New Orleans to San Antonio is about a day's run. In a week and without interfering with current train sets schedules, one additional train set could travel each way three times and leave Sunday for maintenance. This would allow the Sunset Limited schedule to operate six days a week between New Orleans and San Antonio. This is a small expense for a significant upgrade to present service - temporary or permanent.
There are other high priorities, including bringing the Heartland Flyer down along I-35, as TxDOT is presently studying. But, nothing is as immediate as a daily Sunset Limited, before we lose it entirely.
SAM1 has pointed out a very important item. The Dallas - FTW -- San Antionia route has many -characteristics of the NEC. Several substantial population centers between 2 large end poopulation centers. The Texas population centers may not equal BOS - NYC - WASH but certainly is more than HAR - PHL or CHI - STL.-. That makes for areas without air service ripe for passengers. IMHO this route would be the first for TxDOT to be implemented. However of course there are impediments.
1. It will takae more money than CHI - STL because.;
2. The CHI - Joliet & STL - Alton will take money for this 64 miles
3. The double tracking of the TRE route approximately 31 miles
4. The upgrades ( maybe DT ) of both routes ( tks 1 [ MP ] & 2 [MKT] ) San Marcos - San Antionia route of 52 miles.
5. # 3 & 4 will prevent any back up moves at FTW tower 55 or San Antionia to/from Union station.
6. The track from FTW - SAS is not like the mostly dead level and fairly straight route of tracks Joilett - Springfield.
7. TxDOT may be able to buy straightning ROW fairly quickly.
8. Make this route 110 MPH and upgradeable to 125 - 135.
9. Extending the Heartland flyer to SAS does make sense but there should be sellable connections at FTW to the TRE.
10. An eventual DAL - Cleburne route would speed DAL - SAS transit times.
Going back to the other legs of the triangle;;
The second route should probably be Austin - Houston. with connections to / from the FTW - SAS trains There is not as much population density but this route has no useable ROW so that would have to be a new route much faster with all the building problems present.
Third route is Dallas - HOU whose intermediate population density is much lower.
If the proposed commuter rail DAL - Longview / Texarkana is ever built that might attract a few thru passenges to the 2 routes out of Dallas.
Amarillo - Lubbock - Abilene - FTW would be a long range possibility ?
I will be happy to sign a petition to make the Sunset Limited 6 days a week. It would actually reduce the subsidy per passenger mile because it would not be necessary for the crew to lay over in New Orleans and Los Angeles.
I hope the Congressional delegations from the states this train serves will come to see its importance.
Thanks for your feedback. Developing a new ROW between Austin and Houston doesn't sound very likely. But, there are two additional ideas: 1) Two trains a day from Houston to Dallas needn't stop at the Metroplex. They could continue on, one toward Chicago or the East Coast and one toward West Texas - Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, Denver and Salt Lake City. 2) The train from Fort Worth heading to West Texas could either head out directly or swing by Temple and Killeen on the way. In this latter case, it could connect with Central Texas light rail trains at Temple, providing lots of additional options.
Many of these ideas are laid out in a recently completed 10-page paper on the subject, which I will be happy to forward if you would like to send me your e-mail address.
How about Austin to Houston by a bit of a detour to take in College Station, thereby linking to two very large state unis as well as linking Houston with the capital. There might be some existing RoW; I don't know.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
To my knowledge there is no direct ROW between Austin and Houston. Can others confirm this?
There are several route variations between Dallas / Fort Worth and Houston. The main differences are the locations of end points. I would definitely vote to use the one which goes through Bryan / College Station and let the rest of the chips fall as they may.
There is a line from Austin to Giddings. I believe that it is owned by the Austin and Western, which is owned by Capital Metro, which is owned by the city of Austin. It is operated by Watco. I not 100 per cent of the ownership. Initially I said that I believed it is out of service, but with some additional research it appears that I was wrong. It runs from Giddings to Llano. It exchanges cars with the UP at McNeil and Elgin.
The Austin and Western hoists Capital Metro's Red lIne commuter train from Austin to Leander. I have heard from several creditable sources that Capital Metro would like to implement commuter service on a portion of the Austin to Giddings line to provide service to the communities east and southeast of Austin. However, at this point, as far as I know, it is just talk.
At Giddings there is a rail line that runs south and southeast. It eventually gets to Houston. I don't know who owns it. In any case, there does not appear to be a good direct Austin to Houston rail line that would be suitable for passenger service.
There are several routes between DFW and Houston. The one that was used by the connecting train off the Eagle for several years was through Corsicana, Bryan/College Station, and Roseville. It was not viable, and Amtrak dropped the service.
Pretty sure the first route that will get rail service will likely be Houston to FTW. That is the furthest along right now in the planning stages. Dallas and FTW are arguing over who gets the station in the Japan Central Railway proposal. Initially they wanted DFW Airport as the northern terminus with a T like rail route to both Dallas and FTW and they stated they preferred to build to FTW first then Dallas. I think because of the cheaper land in the Westerly direction. Dallas has more seats on the DFW board and so might be able to influence on a Dallas station first. Not sure where that is going.
Anyways, not sure how realistic is the Japan Central Railway proposal but it is being taken seriously by North Texas governments. The competing Texas T-Bone proposal by Governor Perry is way behind the Japaneese proposal and probably will die eventually.
The FTW to San Antonio route is far less rural and needs a lot of rail relocation and that is very expensive for a Private Company. State of Texas has started some work Austin to San Antonio but needs to invest a lot more money, IMO.
BTW, rails have been laid into DFW airport already by DART and terminate at Terminal A. They have already built part of the rail station canopy with soaring white steel beams and you can see it as your leaving DFW on your right as you head North just about finish passing Terminal A. I am guessing DART service might start prior to 2014 given the speed of construction but maybe not.
Not sure where exactly the rail station will be on DFW property for HSR.
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