(The following story by Gordon Dickson appeared on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram website on August 1.)
FORTH WORTH, Texas — There’s something different lately about Amtrak’s Texas Eagle, a long-distance train that serves Fort Worth daily.
More often than not, it’s punctual.
“One thing I’ve noticed informally from my office is that the Texas Eagle appears to have been running fairly much on time,” said Temple businessman Dean Chandler, who frequently rides the train to Chicago.
A year ago, the Texas Eagle was running on schedule about 22 percent of the time, according to the nation’s only coast-to-coast passenger rail service.
This year, the on-time rate is about 62 percent, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said. Freight railroads, which own most of the tracks that Amtrak uses, are doing a better job of dispatching the passenger trains through congested corridors, he said.
Railroads have been under pressure from political leaders to help Amtrak get to its destinations on time.
Also, ridership has increased dramatically in the past year.
Between Oct. 1 and June 30, 172,684 riders boarded the Texas Eagle at 26 stations between Chicago and San Antonio — a 16 percent increase in riders from the same period a year earlier.
On the Heartland Flyer, which operates daily between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, 38,445 riders boarded during the same period, up 18 percent from the previous year.
Both trains are regularly at or near capacity, Magliari said.
Despite the good news, Amtrak is again in financial straits. It is subsidized by federal funding and has requested a minimum of $1.6 billion to continue operating in 2005. But a House committee and the Bush administration are recommending $900 million, an amount that Amtrak officials say would cause them to shut down in February.
Debate is expected to resume in September.
The annual financial crisis will continue until Congress agrees to fund the rail service long term, supporters said.
David Gunn, Amtrak’s chief executive, has released a five-year strategic plan to get the company back on its feet and upgrade its aging equipment, but the plan requires a long-term commitment from the federal government.
With Greyhound Lines eliminating bus service in many parts of the Midwest and the Northwest, Amtrak may be the sole long-distance travel option in many places, supporters said.
“There’s a growing realization that these regional trains that connect places like Mineola with Fort Worth, and a lot of areas not well-served by air markets, this is a viable transportation option,” said Bill Pollard, chairman of the Texas Eagle Marketing and Promotions Organization, which tracks Amtrak data.
ONLINE: www.amtrak.com
Amtrak in North Texas
Amtrak trains make three daily stops at downtown Fort Worth’s Intermodal Transportation Center, Ninth and Jones streets.
— The Texas Eagle southbound to San Antonio leaves Fort Worth at 4 p.m. daily. In San Antonio, riders may connect to the Amtrak Sunset Limited, which runs from Los Angeles to Orlando, Fla.
— The Texas Eagle northbound to Chicago leaves Fort Worth at 3:20 p.m. daily. Chicago is a major train hub with many connections nationwide.
— The Heartland Flyer northbound to Oklahoma City leaves Fort Worth at 5:25 p.m.
# Before leaving home, verify that the train is running on time by calling (800) 872-7245 or by visiting www.amtrak.com.
— For specific information about sights along the Texas Eagle and the Heartland Flyer routes, visit www.texaseagle.com. or www.heartlandflyer.com.