Houston, TX, Amtrak Station - Fate of Track 1

Gone are the glory days when the Texas Eagle took you from HOS to DAL, and train #1 (not #2 - I misspoke in the video) came through and used the embedded track to drop the passengers off. Even the circus train doesn't use this track anymore, as evidenced by the derail marker. Worse, Track 2 and the sidings next to it need looked at - the main track, despite its usage, is becoming overgrown and the sidings are already there.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Houston
• Texas
• Amtrak
• Railroad
• Station

[mfastx]

i think they recently did work on this track, making it a usable track. have you been to the station lately?

[kanjo007]

@mfastx Yes, in December. No change to the track that I saw when I looked.

[kanjo007]

Houston is, but it's also the most the most unkempt station I know of. I was there on a Saturday before anyone was to show for the bus to Longview to catch the Texas Eagle.

[VerticalhorizonXL]

@kanjo007

On Wikipedia it says that the Houston Amtrak is proposed to close in 2012. Isn't it already closed though? I mean, is it possible to go from Houston to Chicago via train?

[kanjo007]

@VerticalhorizonXL Yes. Catch a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday evening train to San Antonio and transfer to the Texas Eagle the next morning, or catch the bus service that serves Galveston, Houston, Nacogdoches, and Longview and catch the evening Texas Eagle in Longview. Furthermore, it won't be 2012 - METRO hasn't received clearance from UP to think about creating a station along its right-of-way yet, so there's no place for Amtrak to move yet as it stands.

[Sniper12890]

@singwith METRO is supposed to build Burnett Plaza which is a major Amtrak and commuter hub. San Antonio should use Sunset Station as its commuter hub and have 6 tracks underground. San Antonio only has 4 rail lines.

[amtrakboy93]

thats too bad, i hope we return dallas-houston service soon, real soon.

[singwith]

That look like an abandoned depot! I thought Houston is the biggest city in TX!