Rerouting of Sunset Limited

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

RickIronton

Train Attendant
Joined
May 2, 2013
Messages
92
Why has the Sunset Limited between Los Angeles to New Orleans been rerouted through Chicago instead of a direct train?
 
As a guess, you may have selected a travel start date on which the Sunset Limited does not depart Los Angeles. Its next departure day is Sunday, but if you selected Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, the Amtrak computer will get you to New Orleans by showing an alternate route through Chicago.
Either that or it will prompt you to select the next date when a simple connection can be made.

Here's a chart showing all the departure dates:
Covid Schedule.jpg
 
Last edited:
Why has the Sunset Limited between Los Angeles to New Orleans been rerouted through Chicago instead of a direct train?
You're mixing the Sunset Ltd. #1 and #2 which run between LAX and NOL on the Old SP Lines, with the Texas Eagle#21/421/#22/# 422
which pick up the Cutout Sleeper and Coach in San Antonio to/from Chicago.

During Normal Schedules, the Texas Eagle #21/#22 are Daily between CHI and SAS, and the Sunset Ltd. #1/#421/#2/#422 rin 3 times a week.
 
Either that or it will prompt you to select the next date when a simple connection can be made.
And what's meant by a simple connection is one that doesn't involve either an overnight stay or one that doesn't involve too many different trains that make the trip much, much longer than necessary.

F'rinstance, while the SL doesn't depart LAX for NOL (or anyplace else) on Mondays, it's possible to book that trip on Monday using multi-city by taking either:
• The CS to PDX, the EB from PDX to CHI and then the CONO from CHI to NOL
• Or the CS to EMY, the CZ to CHI and then the CONO from CHI to NOL

But Arrow (the Amtrak booking computer system) doesn't seem to be set up to provide those choices - maybe because they're not simple enough. Maybe. But if you follow the prompt after selecting Monday as a departure day from LAX and opt for Tuesday, Arrow lets you book the SWC to CHI and then the CONO from CHI to NOL all on one ticket - because, I guess, that's simple enough for Arrow (only two different trains).

However, all that doesn't mean Arrow won't come up with a three train booking. It all depends on the end points and the day travel starts. If you try booking LAX to MIA on a Tuesday, Arrow will give a booking on the three trains required. There's even end points and dates where it'll provide four train bookings. Maybe even five.
 
However, all that doesn't mean Arrow won't come up with a three train booking. It all depends on the end points and the day travel starts. If you try booking LAX to MIA on a Tuesday, Arrow will give a booking on the three trains required. There's even end points and dates where it'll provide four train bookings. Maybe even five.
Spent some time trying to find a day and end points for which Arrow would allow single ticket booking using five different trains (no busses) without success. Found one five trainer that meets all the usual requirements (at least 1½ hours between trains and no overnight stays) but the only way to book it is by using Multi-City.

That Multi-City one departs DEN for MIA on a Thursday (the CZ only heads West on Thursday) that goes DEN to SAC to PDX to CHI to WAS to MIA. Arrow only offers a shift to Saturday when the CZ heads to CHI.

There might some combination where Arrow will offer a five train one-ticket ride, but I couldn't find it.

Maybe Arrow has a limit of four trains on one ticket?
 
Last edited:
Spent some time trying to find a day and end points for which Arrow would allow single ticket booking using five different trains (no busses) without success. Found one five trainer that meets all the usual requirements (at least two hours between trains and no overnight stays) but the only way to book it is by using Multi-City.

That Multi-City one departs DEN for MIA on a Thursday (the CZ only heads West on Thursday) that goes DEN to SAC to PDX to CHI to WAS to MIA. Arrow only offers a shift to Saturday when the CZ heads to CHI.

There might some combination where Arrow will offer a five train one-ticket ride, but I couldn't find it.

Maybe Arrow has a limit of four trains on one ticket?
Wait so what's the difference of multi-city? Does it not have a guaranteed connection?

I thought that ANYTHIGN that shows up on the Amtrak website is a guaranteed connection, despite if it's multi city.
 
Wait so what's the difference of multi-city? Does it not have a guaranteed connection?

I thought that ANYTHIGN that shows up on the Amtrak website is a guaranteed connection, despite if it's multi city.
Can't answer that question. Only mentioned the guaranteed connection requirements to say they were met in that five train sequence mentioned. The one from DEN to MIA that Arrow would only condescend to when using multi-city.

While I do know that Arrow won't allow multi-city booking LD train connections with (probably) less than a 90 minute layover I don't really know if a multi-city connection with a, say, 3 hour layover is a guaranteed one. The only guaranteed LD connection I know of that has a layover less than 90 minutes is that between the Northbound CS and Eastbound EB in PDX - that one's 70 minutes.

All I could find on the subject from Amtrak is this... At the Station ...and it's not very detailed.
 
Why has the Sunset Limited between Los Angeles to New Orleans been rerouted through Chicago instead of a direct train?
From what I've read, and the way I understand it, the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle are the same PHYSICAL train between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Antonio (SAS). At SAS, some cars are removed from the consist (can't recall how many sleepers and coaches) and those cars continue with a loco to Chicago (CHI) as the Texas Eagle alone. The remainder of the consist continues to New Orleans (NOL) as the Sunset Limited alone.

Also, train availability depends on which route (whether SL or TE) you book under. That will affect how/when connections are made.
 
From what I've read, and the way I understand it, the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle are the same PHYSICAL train between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Antonio (SAS). At SAS, some cars are removed from the consist (can't recall how many sleepers and coaches) and those cars continue with a loco to Chicago (CHI) as the Texas Eagle alone. The remainder of the consist continues to New Orleans (NOL) as the Sunset Limited alone.

Also, train availability depends on which route (whether SL or TE) you book under. That will affect how/when connections are made.
You pretty much got it!

It's always one coach and one sleeper.

The coach and sleeper are added to a separate consist with a diner and sometimes sightseer lounge, in addition to another coach and sleeper.
 
Back
Top