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[quote user="MidlandMike"] I knew the UP had a problem with adding passenger trains west of El Paso, but I didn't realize they were also constrained east of there.  CA & IL may be lucky to have their routes on lightly used UP lines, and MI was able to buy most of the lightly used CHI-DET line from NS. [/quote] The Sunset route is mostly a single track railroad from El Paso to San Antonio and Houston. I am not sure about the Houston to New Orleans leg. The same is true for the route of the Texas Eagle on the BNSF and UP in Texas. And the former T&P line from Fort Worth to Sierra Blanca also is mostly a single track railroad. Most of the double tracking of the Sunset line is taking place west of El Paso.  I presume this is due to the heavier concentration of traffic from Sierra Blanca to El Paso and the LA basin. At Sierra Blanca the Sunset route and the T&P route merge. A considerable amount of traffic flows off the T&P line, thus adding to the congestion west of there. I don't know whether the UP plans to double track the line from El Paso to Sierra Blanca.   The UP line from Taylor to San Antonio, which is used by the Texas Eagle, is a single track railroad. The UP has told the Lone Star Rail authority no commuter trains unless it comes up with the money to upgrade the alternative route around Austin.  As mentioned the price tag is in the neighborhood of $2 billion.  And that would be before any monies could be laid out to upgrade the current route, including stations, between Georgetown and San Antonio.  Although the name of the project is ASA, i.e. Austin to San Antonio, the game plan is to run trains from Georgetown to San Antonio.
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