Trip to Austin on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited out of Tucson

[micmac99]

Hello all:

I live in Phoenix, Arizona and will be taking a trip to Austin, Texas a week from today. My 13-year-old son (along with my ex-wife and ex-in-laws) lives there.

About a year ago I took a 4th of July trip to the Austin area on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited from Tucson, on which I reported in these threads. The Texas Eagle portion was overbooked out of Los Angeles, meaning that I had to sit in the Sunset Limited car and de-board in San Antonio, where I spent a sleepless night waiting to reboard the newly originating Chicago-bound Texas Eagle (while the SL went on to New Orleans). I was not a happy camper.

After my trip I complained to Amtrak CS and later in the fall, they gave me a $50 credit towards a new trip, which I used in January to purchase my tickets for this upcoming trip. (They also sent me a separate coupon by mail for $50, presumably because I expressed a little displeasure when I booked online, and then the CS could not apply the credit without canceling the charge on my VISA debit card and having me call back and re-book when the funds re-appeared.)

This trip: Pretty much the same itinerary out of Tucson, but this time hopefully I get to sit in the Texas Eagle car and stay on the car in San Antonio overnight.

Are there any special things I need to know about this train since almost a year has passed since my last trip? Has the dining service improved? Last year I ate most meals in the lounge car. I will be traveling coach.

Thanks and may Phoenix Union Station reopen someday. I will be taking Greyhound from Phoenix to Tucson.

 

[rtabern]

Yeah, the first time I took 421 and 422 the agent on the phone told me that if I just booked on 1 and 21 OR 2 and 22, you're on your own for the night in San Antonio. You need to book the section of the train with a "4" in front of it in order to stay on board in your room or coach seat... so make sure your ticket says 421 or 422... or else you're going to run into the same problem again and I'd hate to see that. I think there is a 24-hour Denny's not too far from the depot you can stay at if needed.

 

[daveyb99]

Yeah, the first time I took 421 and 422 the agent on the phone told me that if I just booked on 1 and 21 OR 2 and 22, you're on your own for the night in San Antonio.

Very Correct. Be CERTAIN you book 422 rather than 2 + 22

No real service changes. TE still running with the SSL. On-Time is vastly better than a few months ago. Food still reheated, but not too bad. I have noticed a complete new crew lineup the last few months (some of the familiar faces have either moved to other trains or retired).

One tidbit: keep checking AMTRAK.COM for a sleeper. Not for the entire trip, but just El Paso/Alpine/Sanderson/Del Rio - Austin. Search all these combos for the best deal.

That would get you a paid-for dinner and maybe lunch, bed for overnight in SAS, and a continental breakfast before AUS. I have found it as low as $143.

If you go this route, make nice with the sleeper attendant and see if you can occupy your room earlier than normal.

 

[birdy]

Yes, may Amtrak come back to Phoenix, by far the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. not served by Amtrak.

There is $8 billion appropriated for HSR and another $5 billion appropriated for conventional rail projects.

There is no reason why Phoenix should not make its pitch for a Phoenix to San Diego HSR route, which would be about as sensible as HSR route as any other, as part of the $8 billion. There is also no reason why the Sunset could not be revived through Phoenix as part of the $5 billion conventional rail project appropriation.

 

[daveyb99]

There is no reason why Phoenix should not make its pitch for a Phoenix to San Diego HSR route,

I will predict right now they will not. One reason: McCain Hates Pork

With that guy in the Senate, I am surprised Arizona has any AMTRAK service.

 

[MrFSS]

There is no reason why Phoenix should not make its pitch for a Phoenix to San Diego HSR route,

I will predict right now they will not. One reason: McCain Hates Pork

With that guy in the Senate, I am surprised Arizona has any AMTRAK service.

Since when is Amtrak pork? :blink:

 

[birdy]

Well, McCain's on-again off-again obsession with "pork" probably has something to do with it. Of course, he just now proposed tax cuts that would create deficits about four times the size of the stimulus package, so a fiscally sane person, he is not.

Arizona has by some measures the biggest budget shortfall of any state. It is one of those places that requires a super majority to raise taxes. So, over the years, the business interests created loopholes for themselves, that can never be fixed. If Arizona had a Sarah Palin style severance tax on copper, they would have collected about 1.5 billion a year all during the boom, courtesy of the Chinese. The plan right now is to cut education spending, particularly with the state universities. They really have a lot of animosity towards Arizona State University and education in general. I've never seen anything like it anywhere else.

None of their rhetoric has stopped them from taking the stimulus money, so it looks like Arizona will soon become the world's first Libertarian welfare state. It should be interesting.

Phoenix new light rail system has exceeded all expectations. When they ran temporary Amtrak service in 1980 after a flood (building proper bridges is an area that 'zonies consider a governmental extravagance) They cramed 5,000 people a day onto Amtrak, but the Repubs couldn't wait to kill the service and they did.