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Casinocim

Casinocim

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Aug 16, 2008
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295
Location
Colorado
Has anyone been on or know of the fastest Amtrak or Amtrak combined with Greyhound route to get from Denver to Houston and back?
 
Casinocim said:
Has anyone been on or know of the fastest Amtrak or Amtrak combined with Greyhound route to get from Denver to Houston and back?
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the dog alone will get you there the fastest 24 hours

Amtrak would take 34 hours with Thruway. connecting in SPI or STL.

Amtrak sunset to ELP is 19 hours then 12 h on the dog up I-25.
 
wrjensen said:
Casinocim said:
Has anyone been on or know of the fastest Amtrak or Amtrak combined with Greyhound route to get from Denver to Houston and back?
Click to expand...
the dog alone will get you there the fastest 24 hours

Amtrak would take 34 hours with Thruway. connecting in SPI or STL.

Amtrak sunset to ELP is 19 hours then 12 h on the dog up I-25.
Click to expand...
Since the above is correct Ill commit heresy and suggest flying on SW or other low fare (Continental gives points!!)unless you have the time!The dog is not comfortable at all and unless you snag a deal probably not that much cheaper either!! :unsure:
 
As much as I love Amtrak, there is no easy way to go from here to there by train. I'd also recommend flying, and if you get a comparable cost, go by Continental. Houston is their base city, and OnePass Miles are transferable to AGR at 1:1 - so essentially you earn AGR points by flying!

In July, due to time constraints, I had to fly cross country one way. I chose Continental and I will transfer them (with some other OnePass Miles) to my AGR account. So essentially, I earned 2596 AGR points by flying! :lol:
 
The promblem with that route is it's single track and has a lot of slow coal trains running on it.
 
It can still be done. You have to take the train from Denver to Galesburg, Illinois. Then you catch a shuttle bus to Springfield, IL and catch the Texas Eagle to Longview, TX. From there you catch another Amtrak Bus to Houston. However keep in mind that the connection in Galesburg is not a guaranteed connection. If the California Zephyr is late, you'll have to stay on until Chicago. I believe Amtrak will put you up in a hotel in Chicago to catch the next days Texas Eagle to Longview and Houston. (even though the connection is not guaranteed) Overall its a 2 day trip. To book it online, you'll have to use the multi-city function.

Also note, if you plan on going back, the connection from Springfield to Galesburg to meet the Zephyr back westbound IS a guaranteed connection. Amtrak WILL have you stay on the Texas Eagle to Chicago and put you in a hotel there is the Texas Eagle is significantly late. You don't have to use the multi-city function when booking online from Houston to Denver.

Hope this helps!
 
If you are not going to be staying in Houston long you may be better off renting a car.
 
Upstate said:
Casinocim said:
Rail Freak said:
If you register & fly before December, you get a 2,500 One Pass Mile Bonus, I believe!RF
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Thanks but I don't like to fly and I don't want to.
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I wouldn't say that I enjoy flying, but if it comes down to spending a good bit of time on the hound I will gladly bite the bullet.
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Aloha

Obviously where I live not flying is not a question, but I would rather go with the birds anyday that the Dogs :rolleyes: . Just occasionally through in a sleeper for good measure :) .
 
saxman66 said:
It can still be done. You have to take the train from Denver to Galesburg, Illinois. Then you catch a shuttle bus to Springfield, IL and catch the Texas Eagle to Longview, TX. From there you catch another Amtrak Bus to Houston. However keep in mind that the connection in Galesburg is not a guaranteed connection. If the California Zephyr is late, you'll have to stay on until Chicago. I believe Amtrak will put you up in a hotel in Chicago to catch the next days Texas Eagle to Longview and Houston. (even though the connection is not guaranteed) Overall its a 2 day trip. To book it online, you'll have to use the multi-city function.
Also note, if you plan on going back, the connection from Springfield to Galesburg to meet the Zephyr back westbound IS a guaranteed connection. Amtrak WILL have you stay on the Texas Eagle to Chicago and put you in a hotel there is the Texas Eagle is significantly late. You don't have to use the multi-city function when booking online from Houston to Denver.

Hope this helps!
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Yes that does help. Thanks

I have tried looking at different routes, I guess ones which would have the least hassles.
 
saxman said:
It can still be done. You have to take the train from Denver to Galesburg, Illinois. Then you catch a shuttle bus to Springfield, IL and catch the Texas Eagle to Longview, TX. From there you catch another Amtrak Bus to Houston. However keep in mind that the connection in Galesburg is not a guaranteed connection. If the California Zephyr is late, you'll have to stay on until Chicago. I believe Amtrak will put you up in a hotel in Chicago to catch the next days Texas Eagle to Longview and Houston. (even though the connection is not guaranteed) Overall its a 2 day trip. To book it online, you'll have to use the multi-city function.

Also note, if you plan on going back, the connection from Springfield to Galesburg to meet the Zephyr back westbound IS a guaranteed connection. Amtrak WILL have you stay on the Texas Eagle to Chicago and put you in a hotel there is the Texas Eagle is significantly late. You don't have to use the multi-city function when booking online from Houston to Denver.

Hope this helps!
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this is just nuts. i just looked up the price for this and its just under 500 per person. why would anybody subject themselves to a 3 day trip when you can buy a airline ticket for from DIA to Bush for $250.00 and be there in 2 hours... our rail system in this country sucks.
 
I have advocated for restoring the Texas to Colorado route for decades with NARP and Amtrak and on here. What you get a hundreds of reasons why it can't be done, but nothing positive or forward thinking from any of those. Look for service on this route when 'H' freezes over.
 
I did the bus ride from ELP to DEN, DONT DO IT. I was on Autobuses Americanos *no choice*, and it was the most horrible ride ever. The bus was over 3 hour late into Denver. You will regret the bus ride trust me. Autobuses Americanos has sorta taken over the DEN-ELP run, and trust me, that is not the way you want to travel between Denver and El Paso, once you are in El Paso you switch back over to Greyhound itself for the run to Houston..

Taking the train to Illinois then down to Texas isnt a bad ride by any means. Id prefer the comfort of the train to a bus any day. This applies if you have the time to travel.

Hope this info helps.

Anthony
 
henryj said:
I have advocated for restoring the Texas to Colorado route for decades with NARP and Amtrak and on here. What you get a hundreds of reasons why it can't be done, but nothing positive or forward thinking from any of those. Look for service on this route when 'H' freezes over.
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Reading the new PIP's on the SWC and the HLF it may be getting cold down there. LOL. They are proposing a thruway bus connection between OKC and Newton and between LaJunta and Denver. Theoretically you could take the HLF to OKC, transfer to the bus for a three hour ride to Newton, transfer at 3am or so to the westbound SWC to LaJunta and then take a four hour bus ride to Denver. Talk about torture..........why would anyone do this? Just for 'fun' I guess. SWA goes to Denver now in two hours.
 
Amtrak Cajun said:
I did the bus ride from ELP to DEN, DONT DO IT. I was on Autobuses Americanos *no choice*, and it was the most horrible ride ever. The bus was over 3 hour late into Denver. You will regret the bus ride trust me. Autobuses Americanos has sorta taken over the DEN-ELP run, and trust me, that is not the way you want to travel between Denver and El Paso, once you are in El Paso you switch back over to Greyhound itself for the run to Houston..

Taking the train to Illinois then down to Texas isnt a bad ride by any means. Id prefer the comfort of the train to a bus any day. This applies if you have the time to travel.

Hope this info helps.

Anthony
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I know that AAU to El Paso is bad, but taking Greyhound's own 467 to Dallas is much better. They use the D4505 instead of the horrid G4500s used by AAU. You won't get to take a train but a D4505 is about as good as it gets without Amtrak!
 
Ah, thats right Swadian, i forgot that from Denver, they have a route that puts you through Amarillo, and into Dallas, then you connect in Dallas to Houston. I shouldnt have forgotten it as I have ridden that route before. That route isnt so bad.
 
Well I did Colorado Springs to Albuquerque almost 2 years ago and it was definitely one of my worst bus rides. Those AAU buses are awful. There is another Mexican competitor, El Paso - Los Angeles Limosinas Express, I've heard good reviews about them.

I also did this past June (Part of Tennessee to Texas Trip) Houston to Denver over the course of 13 days, mostly on Amtrak, with a few side trips:

Greyhound Houston to Dallas (perfectly fine ride, Express seating)

1 Night in Dallas

Quick Heartland Flyer Roundtrip (had a plast trying that train) Fort Worth to Norman, (city bus to OKC) and train back the next morning (staying in Norman was much cheeper)

2 Nights in Irving

-Add two TRE Dallas to Fort Worth Trips in

Texas Eagle Dallas to Austin

2 Nights in Austin

Greyhound, Austin to San Antonio (nice and short)

2 Nights in San Antonio

Texas Eagle (got a cheep roomette) San Antonio to St. Louis, direct connection to the Missouri River Runner to Kansas City

1 Night in KC

Southwest Chief (coach) through the night to La Junta, 5 hour layover before Pestige Bus Line's Bee Line La Junta to Pueblo, and direct connection on Greyhound from Pueblo to Colorado Springs

1 Night in Colorado Springs

FREX Bus the next day to Denver (a now discontinued city run intercity route)
 
Limosinas dosen't look too bad, they run the nice, big 102DL3. Somebody argues that it's a 102C3, but it's too long to be that (eight side windows). Next chance I get I'm trying them out.
 
If you're *really* not in a hurry, and *insist* on taking the train, take the CZ from Denver to Chicago, stay overnight, take the Texas Eagle from Chicago to San Antonio, stay overnight, take the Sunset Limited from San Antonio to Houston (and since that's only 3 a week, that determines your starting date). :huh: :blink: ;)

It would probably be faster to charter your own private train. (Not cheaper, though.)
 
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