Bustitution on the 22

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I did the East Texas Reroute last Oct and spent the night in LVW, then rode #21 home to Austin the next morning!

First time on that route since 1961 on the MOPAC Eagle to STL!

Long view has lots of cheap motels and the usual Chains which are Overpriced for being basically nowhere and you'll need a Taxi, too far to walk! The LVW Agents are very friendly and helpful!
 
FYI: Track work around FTW and the Texas Eagle:

Per the Austin Agents Official Notification Info System, UP will be doing Track work in and around FTW on the following days resulting in a Reroute of #22 from Taylor to Long view via Rockdale/Hearne/Palestine into Longview! Passengers Boarding North of Taylor @ the Stops in Temple/McGregor/Cleburne/Ft Worth/Dallas and Mineola will be Bustituted to Longview! Train #21,the Southbound Eagle will run the Regular Route!

April 9,April 28,May 13,May 20,May 27!

More Trackwork will be scheduled in June and will be announced by UP!

Sent from my Motto G Smart Phone aboard the Texas Eagle #22
Oh, you've GOT to be kidding. The one time this spring I could travel and get tickets. Maybe I'll have to look into leaving out of LVW instead.
 
I did the East Texas Reroute last Oct and spent the night in LVW, then rode #21 home to Austin the next morning!

First time on that route since 1961 on the MOPAC Eagle to STL!

Long view has lots of cheap motels and the usual Chains which are Overpriced for being basically nowhere and you'll need a Taxi, too far to walk! The LVW Agents are very friendly and helpful!
Jim, when we ride the Eagle to LVW, we get a cab to a hotel on the far east side of town, close to the road to Kilgore, for only 7 bux. there is a Hertz office near this hotel, and the Hertz ppl will drive you back to the train station in the morning, every day except Sunday. There are three hotels over there, and are very reasonable. One has a contract with UP for housing.

It is a shame the detour dates are all weekdays, I cant go........
 
I did the East Texas Reroute last Oct and spent the night in LVW, then rode #21 home to Austin the next morning!

First time on that route since 1961 on the MOPAC Eagle to STL!

Long view has lots of cheap motels and the usual Chains which are Overpriced for being basically nowhere and you'll need a Taxi, too far to walk! The LVW Agents are very friendly and helpful!
Yeah, I was looking at hotels around there. Do you recommend any of them? Tonys96, do you mean over there on Spur 63, where the Ramada and Quality Inns are?
 
As Paul Harvey used to say: "And now the rest of the story!"

Train #21 WILL be doing the Re-Route from LVW-TAY on the following days:

April 9,28/May 13,20,27!

Passengers for Mineola,Dallas,Ft Worth ,Cleburne,McGregor and Temple will be Bustituted from Longview!

Also Trains #21/421 and #22/#422 will Detour between FTW and DAL on the TRE Route through Irving:

April 8,10,27,29/May 12,14,19,21,26.

Stay tuned for further Updates/Changes or NOT, it's Amtrak!!
 
Yeah, I was looking at hotels around there. Do you recommend any of them? Tonys96, do you mean over there on Spur 63, where the Ramada and Quality Inns are?
Yes...but both are not the same name now. The Quality is now a Super 8, and the Ramada is now a Motel 6. The Motel 6 has contract with UP. There is also a Homewood Suites there. We do this because the Hertz car rental is right there, and the NB Eagle gets there after 6:00. Sometimes we just stay over there for one night, then move to the loop for the rest of the visit. The Hertz people are really nice and have always taken to to the Amtrak station in the morning to catch the SB Eagle.

If you do not need a car, the Fairfield and the Suburban hotels on the loop usually have the best value. And we like the Candlewood. Suburban and Candlewood have no breakfast, but there are many good breakfast places within the area.
 
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They finally put up the Service Disruption notice on the Amtrak "Service Alerts and Notices" page. But it's a little confusing.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Alert_C&pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&cid=1251625880759

"Texas Eagle Trains 21/421 and 22/422: Track Work Affects Service at Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, Cleburne, McGregor and Temple

Effective April 9 and 28, 2014 and May 13, 20 and 27, 2014
On the dates shown above, Texas Eagle Trains 21/421 and 22/422 will DETOUR [emphasis here is mine] between Longview and Taylor, due to track work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad. This detour will affect service at Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, Cleburne, McGregor and Temple on April 9 and 28, and May 13, 20 and 27, as described below:

Cleburne Service
On the dates indicated above, service will not be provided to or from Cleburne."

That's clear enough and agrees with what the Austin agent said.

"Train 21/421 Bus Service between Longview and Taylor
On the dates shown above, Train 21/421 will operate as scheduled to Longview, where bus service will be provided to and from Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, McGregor, Temple and Taylor. Upon arriving at Taylor, passengers will board westbound Train 21/421, serving all remaining stations on the route."

The last sentence seems to say that everyone gets bustituted between LVW and TAY, because they added Taylor at the end. Maybe they mean that anyone getting on at any station between Mineola and Temple gets bused to Taylor. It isn't clear.

"Train 22/422 Bus Service between Taylor and Longview
On the dates shown above, Train 22/422 will operate as scheduled to Taylor, where bus service will be provided to and from Temple, McGregor, Fort Worth, Dallas, Mineola and Longview. Upon arriving at Longview, passengers will board eastbound Train 2/422, serving all remaining stations on the route."

Same thing here, maybe they mean anyone getting on between Temple and Mineola gets bused to LVW. I'm thinking that the agent I spoke to didn't lie after all, it was just not very clear to her (as it is not to me) what was going on.

I looked at boarding (and disembarking the following day) at Austin just to be safe. And to my surprise, it's cheaper! Well, the roomette is, in fact it's cheaper than the flexible plan in the coach! What's up with that!

Tonys96, Super 8, Motel 6 and Homewood Suites all look to be about 2 miles from the station - seems like it would be cheaper to take a cab than rent a car?
 
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They finally put up the Service Disruption notice on the Amtrak "Service Alerts and Notices" page. But it's a little confusing.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Alert_C&pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&cid=1251625880759

"Texas Eagle Trains 21/421 and 22/422: Track Work Affects Service at Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, Cleburne, McGregor and Temple

Effective April 9 and 28, 2014 and May 13, 20 and 27, 2014

On the dates shown above, Texas Eagle Trains 21/421 and 22/422 will DETOUR [emphasis here is mine] between Longview and Taylor, due to track work being performed by Union Pacific Railroad. This detour will affect service at Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, Cleburne, McGregor and Temple on April 9 and 28, and May 13, 20 and 27, as described below:

Cleburne Service

On the dates indicated above, service will not be provided to or from Cleburne."

That's clear enough and agrees with what the Austin agent said.

"Train 21/421 Bus Service between Longview and Taylor

On the dates shown above, Train 21/421 will operate as scheduled to Longview, where bus service will be provided to and from Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, McGregor, Temple and Taylor. Upon arriving at Taylor, passengers will board westbound Train 21/421, serving all remaining stations on the route."

The last sentence seems to say that everyone gets bustituted between LVW and TAY, because they added Taylor at the end. Maybe they mean that anyone getting on at any station between Mineola and Temple gets bused to Taylor. It isn't clear.

"Train 22/422 Bus Service between Taylor and Longview

On the dates shown above, Train 22/422 will operate as scheduled to Taylor, where bus service will be provided to and from Temple, McGregor, Fort Worth, Dallas, Mineola and Longview. Upon arriving at Longview, passengers will board eastbound Train 2/422, serving all remaining stations on the route."

Same thing here, maybe they mean anyone getting on between Temple and Mineola gets bused to LVW. I'm thinking that the agent I spoke to didn't lie after all, it was just not very clear to her (as it is not to me) what was going on.

I looked at boarding (and disembarking the following day) at Austin just to be safe. And to my surprise, it's cheaper! Well, the roomette is, in fact it's cheaper than the flexible plan in the coach! What's up with that!

Tonys96, Super 8, Motel 6 and Homewood Suites all look to be about 2 miles from the station - seems like it would be cheaper to take a cab than rent a car?
You are correct, if you are just staying for one night and departing the next day. Cab fare from the station to that area is about seven dollars.

We do not just do an overnight trip there. We always stay at least two or three days in LVW. We take the cab to the hotel because we arrive late. We stay for a few days to visit my birth mother, so we rent a car while there. Then the Hertz folks drive us back to the station to leave in the morning. The NB Eagle gets there around 6:15 if on time (rare) and the car rental is closed, so we cab it to the hotel. Then rent a car the next morning for our stay, taking it back on departure day.
 
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You are correct, if you are just staying for one night and departing the next day. Cab fare from the station to that area is about seven dollars.

We do not just do an overnight trip there. We always stay at least two or three days in LVW. We take the cab to the hotel because we arrive late. We stay for a few days to visit my birth mother, so we rent a car while there. Then the Hertz folks drive us back to the station to leave in the morning. The NB Eagle gets there around 6:15 if on time (rare) and the car rental is closed, so we cab it to the hotel. Then rent a car the next morning for our stay, taking it back on departure day.
Thanks for that info, it helps me to plan the trip. Are you from Longview, then? There is more to the town than I ever thought, only ever having seen it from I-20 before.
 
Not from there. My birth mother lives there. City of about 80,000 people. Got lots of great local places to eat, the loop is the shopping area, but the mall is a waste.....lots of strip shopping on the loop. Really a typical east texas mid sized city. LeTorneau University, and a really good municipal symphony.
 
Can you make it all the way to Marshall? A more historic station and the Marshall Pottery on Elysian Fields road is amazing.

I don't knock Longview - spent 4 1/2 years in college there. Unfortunately, I didn't care about Amtrak back then. Back in 1994, it would have been much more pleasant than driving from LVW to DET which a buddy of mine and I did in a weekend. Before finals. Without hardly any sleep.

Ahhh, to be young and stupid again!

So - the Northbound trains are being rerouted, and the Southbound trains are serving all stations but taking the TRE route between DAL and FTW? Is that about the gist of it?
 
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Nope, it's Bustitutions between FTW and SAS in both directions until Sept.due to Trackwork around Tower #55 and the UP and BNSF Mainline Diamond resulting in a Re-,Route on the TRE Line between FTW and DAL! There is No Eastex Re-Route to Longview via the old Mo-Pac Route through Eas Texas like they did in May!
 
Taking the Texas Eagle TRE detour was quite an experience since I am use to making all the station stops and here we are tearing along like a Turpentined Cat blowing right through all the stations, often to the amazment of pax waiting for their train. And that sure cuts the travel time between DAL and FTW :)
 
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Can you make it all the way to Marshall? A more historic station and the Marshall Pottery on Elysian Fields road is amazing.

I don't knock Longview - spent 4 1/2 years in college there. Unfortunately, I didn't care about Amtrak back then. Back in 1994, it would have been much more pleasant than driving from LVW to DET which a buddy of mine and I did in a weekend. Before finals. Without hardly any sleep.

Ahhh, to be young and stupid again!

So - the Northbound trains are being rerouted, and the Southbound trains are serving all stations but taking the TRE route between DAL and FTW? Is that about the gist of it?
The station in Marshall is really great, the museum inside on the third floor is really interesting.
 
Taking the Texas Eagle TRE detour was quite an experience since I am use to making all the station stops and here we are tearing along like a Turpentined Cat blowing right through all the stations, often to the amazment of pax waiting for their train. And that sure cuts the travel time between DAL and FTW :)
I wonder what the latest news is about rerouting the Texas Eagle along the TRE tracks for good, and eliminating the need to back into FTW through the Tower 55 junction? I've been so out of the loop lately.
 
Don't think it's a totally done deal yet. Still fighting over liability. And, I don't think they have the whole route double tracked yet (though it is during the TRE 'down' time, so long as they are running ontime).
 
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I can confirm that it's not entirely double-tracked yet, but it's gotten a lot farther along. The tricky spot is the squeeze through an old limestone block bridge just north of the station in Fort Worth, and there are a few other stretches in Tarrant County that I don't think were double-tracked when I rode the TRE a few weeks ago. (There's got to be a thread on this somewhere.)
 
Taking the Texas Eagle TRE detour was quite an experience since I am use to making all the station stops and here we are tearing along like a Turpentined Cat blowing right through all the stations, often to the amazment of pax waiting for their train. And that sure cuts the travel time between DAL and FTW :)
What's the travel time compared to TRE.
 
Taking the Texas Eagle TRE detour was quite an experience since I am use to making all the station stops and here we are tearing along like a Turpentined Cat blowing right through all the stations, often to the amazment of pax waiting for their train. And that sure cuts the travel time between DAL and FTW :)
What's the travel time compared to TRE.
Platform to platform is about 30-45 minutes, give or take a few.
 
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