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Amtrak or its hoist carriers are not likely to make the investments required to improve the performance of the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited.  As long as the political winds support running Amtrak's long distance trains, the Eagle and Sunset services are likely to be with us.  Amtrak could improve them with a seemingly minimum investment.  Last year I sent a proposal to Alex Kummant with some thoughts on how to bring it about.  He sent me a nice reply acknowledging that the proposal had some merit. The gist of what I proposed is discussed below.  Discontinue the Sunset.  Run the Eagle on its current route from Chicago to Fort Worth, but beyond Cow Town run it on the T&P to El Paso and the Sunset route to Los Angles as a daily train.  Extend the Heartland Flyer from Fort Worth to San Antonio and the City of New Orleans from the Crescent City to San Antonio as a daily train.These changes, forgetting for the moment whether they are doable, would result in several improvements.  Service would be provided to Abilene, Texas (area population 125,000) and the Permian Basin cities (Midland and Odessa) with an area population of 250,000.  The cities between New Orleans and San Antonio would get a daily train in both directions that called at a reasonable hour.  The cities between El Paso and LA would get a daily train and better calling times.  Moreover, the Heartland Flyer could be scheduled to arrive in San Antonio and Oklahoma City at a reasonable hour.  Passengers would be able to transfer to or from the Eagle and Heartland Flyer in Fort Worth.  There would be some losers in the above described scenario.  Del Rio, Sanderson, and Alpine would lose service, although connecting bus service could be provided to San Antonio and Midland.  These three communities have a combined population of approximately 40,000 compared to more than 375,000 along the T&P route.  El Paso would lose its convenient morning and evening departure times, but it would gain daily service.  Passengers wanting to travel from New Orleans to points west of San Antonio would have to stay over night in San Antonio, catch the Heartland Flyer to Fort Worth, and connect with the Eagle.  Passengers to Del Rio could catch a bus in San Antonio.  Eastbound passengers would have to reverse the exercise.  A key question is how many people on the Sunset travel from New Orleans to points west of San Antonio and vice versa?    There are at least five potential hurdles to this proposal.  The UP would balk at a daily passenger train on the T&P between Fort Worth and Sierra Blanca.  Equipment availability could be a problem.  Operating constraints could be another issue.  The politicians representing Del Rio, Sanderson, and Alpine would be opposed to losing their thrice weekly train.  It would not be possible unless Amtrak found a way to run the trains on time.  Given its dismal record outside of the Northeast, Illinois, and California corridors, running on time is not promising.
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