Sunset Ltd. Still Suspended to Houston

In a service advisory issued on Thursday, Amtrak said that its Sunset Limited is still not operating between New Orleans and San Antonio.

Nos. 1 and 2 continue to operate between San Antonio and Los Angeles.

Amtrak did not give an estimate of when service through flood-ravaged Houston would be restored.

It said it continues to work with BNSF and Union Pacific to restore the service when it is possible to do so. An update will be posted on or before Sept. 12.

Amtrak Thruway Bus Service Routes 6021 & 6022 between Galveston and Longview, Texas, are available as alternate transportation to and from Houston, enabling connections with the rest of the Amtrak national network using the Texas Eagle at Longview.

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Sunset Limited Still Suspended, Thruways Restored

Amtrak said on Friday that the Sunset Limited remains suspended between New Orleans and San Antonio, Texas.

However, Thruway Bus Service Routes 6021 & 6022 have resumed between Galveston and Longview, Texas, via Houston, enabling connections to and from the rest of the Amtrak National Network using the Texas Eagle.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said it is unable to offer alternate transportation between San Antonio and New Orleans, but is working with Union Pacific and BNSF to restore Nos. 1 and 2 when it is possible to do so.

 

New Thruway Links Cardinal with W.Va. Cities

Amtrak has launched a Thruway bus route to link its Chicago-New York Cardinal with cities in north central West Virginia.

The bus will connect the eastbound Cardinal with Morgantown, Fairmount, Clarksburg/Bridgeport, Weston, Sutton/Flatwoods, and Clendenin.

The bus route will serve the Amtrak station in Charleston, where No 50 stops on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

The bus will depart from Morgantown at 4:50 a.m. on the days that the Cardinal operates to Charleston.

Arriving in Charleston at 8 a.m., the bus is scheduled to return to Morgantown and all intermediate cities at 8:45 a.m. The Cardinal is scheduled to stop in Charleston at 8:21 a.m.

Baron’s Bus lines is operating the service and uses motor coaches equipped with Wi-Fi and electrical outlets.

Track Work to Affect Service in North Carolina on July 19

Track work in Raleigh, North Carolina, will affect the operation of Amtrak’s Piedmont, Carolinian and Silver Star trains on July 18 and 19.

On July 18, Train 1092 will depart Miami at 9:15 a.m., two hours and 35 minutes earlier than its current schedule, and operate on the earlier schedule through its arrival into Philadelphia at 2:20 p.m.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said Train 92 will wait in Philadelphia until it departs at 5:10 p.m, then operate according to its normal schedule at all remaining stations on the route.

Due to the earlier train departure, the train number for northbound Train 92 departing Miami on July 18 has been changed to Train 1092.

The earlier schedule for the Silver Star will also affect certain Thruway Bus routes.

Thruway Bus 6292 will depart earlier from Lakeland, Florida, while Thruway Bus 6092 will depart earlier from Fort Myers, Florida.

Passengers ticketed on those routes are urged to contact Amtrak for updated schedules by visiting Amtrak.com, using the Amtrak mobile apps or by calling 800-USA-RAIL (800-872-7245).

On July 19, the Carolinian and Piedmont service will be cancelled and no alternative transportation provided. This affects Trains 73, 74, 75, 76, 79 and 80.

Westbound Texas Eagle to Detour in Texas May 1-8

Amtrak’s westbound Texas Eagle is being detoured in Texas between May 1 and 8 due to track work being performed by Union Pacific.

The train will miss its scheduled stops at Marshall and Longview, Texas.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said passengers boarding at Shreveport, Louisiana; Marshall, Texas; and Longview, Texas, will board Thruway bus 6421 to Mineola, Texas, where they will board Train 21/421.

Passengers on Nos. 21/421 who are traveling to Shreveport, Marshall and Longview will detrain at Mineola and ride Thruway bus 6121 to their destination. Bus 6121 will originate at Mineola instead of Longview.

Those on Nos. 21/421 who are scheduled to make connections with Thruway bus 6021 at Longview will also detrain at Mineola and take Thruway Bus 6021 to their destination. Bus 6021 will originate in Mineola instead of Longview.

During this period, Amtrak personnel will be available at Mineola to assist customers.

Sunset Limited Phoenix Thruway Route Slated

Amtrak plans to launch a new Thruway bus service on May 1 that will link the Phoenix metropolitan area with the New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Limited.

The closest station to Phoenix served by Nos. 1 and 2 is Maricopa, Arizona.

The new Thruway service will be operated by Stagecoach Express and link Maricopa with Tempe, Phoenix Metro Transit Center and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

The Sunset Limited operates tri-weekly and also stops in Arizona at Tucson, Yuma and Benson.

 

Colfax Thruway Bus Stop Moved

The Amtrak Thruway bus stop in Colfax, California, is being moved a half block east across the Union Pacific tracks from the Amtrak station to Roy Tom’s Plaza 33 on Grass Valley Street.

In a service advisory, Amtrak said the temporary change is due to road restrictions preventing buses from accessing the station.

Amtrak trains will continue to stop at the Colfax train station on Railroad Street.

Serving Colfax are the Chicago-Emeryville California Zephyr, and some Capitol Corridor trains.

 

New Michigan Thruway Route Started

Amtrak and Indian Trails bus lines are instituting a Thruway bus connecting service between Amtrak’s Wolverine Service trains and point in central Michigan, including Mt. Pleasant and Gaylord.

Passengers on Train No. 350 will connect in Battle Creek, Michigan, with the bus heading to Michigan points, while passengers originating at those points will connect with Train No. 355 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The new bus route will travel to various communities along U.S. Route 127 and Interstate 75.

Mt. Pleasant is the home of Central Michigan University.

Indian Trails motorcoaches provide free Wi-Fi, 110V electrical outlets and are wheelchair-accessible.

Amtrak said that the new route expands the  Indian Trails’ network of connections with Amtrak to reach 270,000 people in more than 100 towns throughout Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, as well as Duluth, Minnesota; Chicago and Milwaukee.

Additional Thruway Buses Serving Madison

Amtrak has increased the number of Thruway bus connections serving Madison, Wisconsin.

Badger Buses are now connecting from Madison with Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service trains at Milwaukee.

Wisconsin’s state capital continues to be served by Coach USA/Van Galder buses between Madison and Chicago Union Station with intermediate stops in Janesville, Wisconsin; and Rockford, Illinois.

Amtrak said in a news release that two routes will offer seven daily roundtrips between Madison and Chicago via Badger Bus and eight roundtrips via Van Galder.

Another bus/train connection is available with the Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder at Columbus, Wisconsin. Lamers Bus Lines operates that route between Madison and Columbus.

Private Operator Taking Over Heartland Flyer May be Key to Returning Rail Service to Wichita

Amtrak hasn’t served Wichita, Kansas, since October 1979 when the Chicago-Houston Lone Star was discontinued in a massive route restructuring designed to cut costs.

Now Kansas officials are hoping that Iowa Pacific Holdings can be the ticket to restoring rail service by extending the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Wichita; Newton, Kansas; or Kansas City.

The Flyer is a student-supported train that currently operates between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, where it connects with the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle.

Iowa Pacific has been mentioned as a potential operator of the Heartland Flyer. Oklahoma is seeking proposals from entities willing to run the Flyer at presumably less cost than what the Oklahoma and Texas departments of transportation are now paying Amtrak.

The two states are paying Amtrak about $2.5 million and $3.5 million a year, from Texas and Oklahoma respectively, to operate the service, which serves more than 70,000 passengers a year.

Continued operation of the Heartland Flyer was in question earlier this year when an Oklahoma lawmaker said the state didn’t have the money to pay for the train.

But the Oklahoma Legislature approved used money from a $5 million annual revolving fund that supports the Heartland Flyer to make up the budget shortfall.

Kenna Carmen, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, said the state has enough funds to keep the Flyer running through the next fiscal year.

IP more than a year ago took over from Amtrak operation of the quad-weekly Hoosier State between Chicago and Indianapolis and has received acclaim for improving the service.

IP has been identified as one of seven potential bidders to take over the Heartland Flyer.

Ed Ellis, the head of IP, said the key to bringing costs down is charging passengers more for enhanced service – something he bets they’re willing to pay.

“They would love to have a better travel experience even if it costs more money,” Ellis said.

Although Wichita is not served by Amtrak, a Thruway bus connects the city with the Heartland Flyer at Oklahoma City.
Extending the Flyer into Kansas could cost more than $100 million for additional equipment and such capital costs as track improvements and new stations.

Officials say that the state of finances in Kansas state government means that cities to be served by the Flyer would have to to cover the operating costs that ordinarily the states would pick up.

“It’s one of those situations where it’s going to take broad-based support,” said John Maddox, program director for rail at the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Kansas is served by one Amtrak route, the Chicago-Los Angeles Southwest Chief, which stops in Newton, about 25 miles north of Wichita.

The state was part of an effort to win a federal grant that was used to rebuild the tracks used by the Chief in western Kansas that kept it on its current route for the foreseeable future.

The Thruway bus that links Wichita and Oklahoma City also operates to Newton to connect with the Chief.