The Amtrak Texas Eagle is the longest train ride in the USA at 2,278 Miles. We’ve compiled a list of things you’ll need to know before you ride.
Contents
- 1 Traditional dining on the Texas Eagle
- 2 Does the Texas Eagle have sleeping cars
- 3 What is the difference Between Texas Eagle 421 and Texas Eagle 21
- 4 Does the Texas Eagle run on time
- 5 Does the Texas Eagle have an observation car
- 6 Does the Texas Eagle have WiFi
- 7 How fast does the Texas Eagle go
- 8 Texas Eagle vs. Southwest Chief: which is better
- 9 Is the Texas Eagle Scenic
- 10 What is the Texas Eagle schedule
- 11 How much does the Texas Eagle cost
- 12 What Amtrak stations does the Texas Eagle go to
Traditional dining on the Texas Eagle
Traditional dining only covers half of the Texas Eagle route, with the other half being flexible dining. West of San Antonio you’ll get the better traditional dining option. When you are east of San Antonio you’ll have flexible dining. Both dining options are included in the ticket price for sleeper car passengers and unavailable to passengers in coach class. All passengers can use the cafe for meals.
Does the Texas Eagle have sleeping cars
The Texas Eagle is a Superliner train and has Superliner sleeping cars. In these cars you’ll have a choice of roomette, bedroom, family bedroom and accessible bedroom accommodations. Roomettes are on the upper and lower levels while bedrooms are all on the upper level. Family Bedroom and Accessible Bedrooms are all on the lower level.
What is the difference Between Texas Eagle 421 and Texas Eagle 21
The Texas Eagle 421 goes all the way to Los Angeles and the Texas Eagle 21 stops in San Antonio when Texas Eagle joins with the Sunset Limited. If you are getting off before San Antonio, there is no difference between the Texas Eagle 421 and the Texas Eagle 21.
Does the Texas Eagle run on time
The Texas Eagle is not usually on time. Long distance Amtrak trains including the Texas Eagle are often late due to heat restrictions, freight traffic and mechanical issues. You should not book tight connections when riding the Texas Eagle as there is a good chance your train will be late.
Does the Texas Eagle have an observation car
The Texas Eagle does have an observation car. The observation car is available to all passengers regardless of which ticket they have. The observation car is open 24 hours a day. There are chairs that face outwards and extra power outlets to charge your electronics in the observation car. On the eastern part of the route, the observation car can be left off, so it is only guaranteed on the western part of the route past San Antonio.
Does the Texas Eagle have WiFi
The Amtrak Texas Eagle does not have WiFi. While many Amtrak trains have WiFi connections on board, the Texas Eagle as well as most of the cross country train routes do not as there are many areas where they would lose service. In some parts of the route you will not have cell service either.
How fast does the Texas Eagle go
The Texas Eagle has a top speed on 79mph. The train will not be usually going that fast and the average speed will be much lower. The train will slow down considerably when going through any city or populated areas.
Texas Eagle vs. Southwest Chief: which is better
The Texas Eagle and Southwest Chief both begin and end in Los Angeles and Chicago. They take different routes to get there. The Texas Eagle drops down into Texas and travels along the US border while the Southwest Chief follows the old Route 66 path. The Southwest Chief is better than the Texas Eagle as it is shorter, more scenic and cheaper.
Is the Texas Eagle Scenic
The Texas Eagle is not considered one of the most scenic Amtrak routes. Going from Chicago to Los Angeles, the Southwest Chief has the same beginning and ending stations and is more scenic than the Texas Eagle. Neither are among the top 3 scenic Amtrak routes in the USA, which are the California Zephyr, Empire Builder and the Coast Starlight.
Some of our favorite views on the Texas Eagle are coming into the city of St. Louis, where you can see the Gateway Arch from the west side of the train.
What is the Texas Eagle schedule
The Texas Eagle leaves Chicago at 1:45pm and arrives in Los Angeles at 5:35am 3 days later. Going from west to east the Texas Eagle leaves Los Angeles at 10:00pm and arrives in Chicago at 1:44pm 3 days later.
How much does the Texas Eagle cost
The base price of a coach class ticket on the Texas Eagle is $146 and the base price of a sleeper car is $766. Sales and discounts can reduce the price of the tickets.
What Amtrak stations does the Texas Eagle go to
- Chicago, IL – Union Station (CHI)
- Joliet, IL (JOL)
- Pontiac, IL (PON)
- Bloomington-Normal, IL (BNL)
- Lincoln, IL (LCN)
- Springfield, IL (SPI)
- Carlinville, IL (CRV)
- Alton, IL (ALN)
- St. Louis, MO – Gateway Station (STL)
- Arcadia, MO (ACD)
- Poplar Bluff, MO (PBF)
- Walnut Ridge, AR (WNR)
- Little Rock, AR – Union Station (LRK)
- Malvern, AR (MVN)
- Arkadelphia, AR (ARK)
- Hope, AR (HOP)
- Texarkana, AR (TXA)
- Marshall, TX (MHL)
- Longview, TX (LVW)
- Mineola, TX (MIN)
- Dallas, TX – Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station (DAL)
- Fort Worth, TX (FTW)
- Cleburne, TX (CBR)
- McGregor, TX (MCG)
- Temple, TX (TPL)
- Taylor, TX (TAY)
- Austin, TX (AUS)
- San Marcos, TX (SMC)
- San Antonio, TX (SAS)
- Del Rio, TX (DRT)
- Sanderson, TX (SND)
- Alpine, TX (ALP)
- El Paso, TX – Union Depot (ELP)
- Deming, NM (DEM)
- Lordsburg, NM (LDB)
- Benson, AZ (BEN)
- Tucson, AZ (TUS)
- Maricopa, AZ (MRC)
- Yuma, AZ (YUM)
- Palm Springs, CA – Amtrak Station (PSN)
- Ontario, CA (ONA)
- Pomona, CA (POS)
- Los Angeles, CA – Union Station (LAX)
