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Although Amtrak is yet to post a planned service disruption for the Texas Eagle south of Fort Worth for July and August, on-line bookings from San Antonio to Dallas between July 7th and August 30th show that the train has been cancelled, and buses are being substituted for it.  This appears to confirm what the senior conductor on the Eagle told me in early May, although at the time he believed the cancellation would be for the last two weeks of July and the first three weeks of August. Number 21 will terminate at Fort Worth, and Number 22 will originate there. I understand that the Eagle will run over the Trinity Railway Express line from Dallas to Fort Worth and vice versa. Hopefully this will become permanent, because it would eliminate the backing into and out of the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center.  The cancellation is due to extensive track and communication work near Tower 55 in Fort Worth. Last week, when I took the Eagle to and from Dallas, it appeared as if the whole Tower 55 junction is being rebuilt. Tracks through the junction, as well as north and south of the junction, have been relocated, and new tracks have been built or are being built. Earlier this year, when the UP was doing track work between Longview and Dallas, the Eagle was routed via Jacksonville, Palestine, and Hearne between Longview and Taylor, thereby maintaining service to Taylor, Austin, San Marcos, and San Antonio.  I was told that the same arrangement could not be made this time because of the heavy freight traffic that will be using this route.  A one way value fare on the bus from San Antonio to Dallas, which will include a transfer to the train in Fort Worth, is posted as $46.  Megabus has three offerings a day between San Antonio and Dallas. The fares begin at $15.  Greyhound has eight daytime offerings with web fares beginning at $19. Amtrak's substitute bus and train combination will take 8 hours and 20 minutes whilst Megabus and Greyhound will get one there in roughly 5 hours. This service disruption comes at the height of the summer travel season. It is bound to have a serious impact on the Eagle's ridership and revenue figures.  Moreover, it raises a serious question. If the train can be cancelled south of Fort Worth for two of the busiest travel months of the year, what is the real need for the Texas Eagle?
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