Maybe this train could be continued to New York as the long awaited 2nd NYP-ATL train.
It would be hard to figure out where to put the overnight segments on such a route, however.
One option would be to depart DFW at night and travel overnight for an early morning arrival in Jackson. The train could then make it up to Raleigh by midnight and Washington in the early morning, with a mid-morning arrival in New York. The overnight segments would be Dallas-Jackson and Raleigh-Washington.
Another possible option I can think of is a late morning departure from DFW with a late night arrival at Meridian. The train could arrive Atlanta in the early morning and make it to New York around midnight.
If the train is run just Fort Worth to Atlanta, it would likely be a full day non-overnight train similar to the Carolinian or Crescent. Due to the early departures and late arrivals at Atlanta and Forth Worth, connections would be near impossible on either end. Theoretically, the train could continue to New York, but it would follow the Crescent by only a few hours. It could serve the Atlanta-Raleigh market, but Charlotte would still have middle of the night service. If the train sat in Atlanta or Charlotte for an hour or two, it could potentially serve both at relatively reasonable times. If this option was chosen, it would likely make the most sense to have this train replace the Carolinian north of Charlotte. Compared to option 2, this train would have a slower schedule and the Greenville/Spartanburg area would once again be neglected, but would stop in Birmingham at a reasonable time, not need a new slot north of Charlotte, and serve New York earlier at night/later in the morning.
As others have previously stated, a new station in Atlanta is likely necessary for this new service, although a run-through train (especially with minimal dwell time) may be less of an issue.
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