Daily service on the Amtrak Texas Eagle is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 21. The expansion of service on this route from four days per week to daily between Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas/Ft. Worth and San Antonio is part of Amtrak's Network Growth Strategy (NGS) which will expand or improve passenger service in 21 states.

"Amtrak is increasing its service on a route that has shown considerable ridership and revenue growth with each new addition of service made over the past three years, and the Texas Eagle is leading our long distance trains in terms of percentage ridership gains so far this fiscal year," said Edward V. Walker, president of Amtrak Intercity. He also noted that the Texas Eagle posted a 91 percent on-time performance for the month of March.

The introduction of daily service on the Chicago- San Antonio route will require that the train operate on two routes in east Texas. Beginning Sunday, May 21, the southbound Texas Eagle will operate on an alternate route between Texarkana and Mineola, Texas. The re-routed southbound train will stop at a motorcoach transfer location on the new route near Longview. Southbound passengers will then continue their journeys by motorcoach to the Texas cities of Longview and Marshall as well as to Houston, Shreveport, La., and other connecting points. The route of the northbound train will not be affected and the northbound Texas Eagle will continue to make stops at both Longview and Marshall.

The Texas Eagle will continue to operate through to Los Angeles once a week and will continue to connect with the Sunset Limited at San Antonio providing service to Los Angeles three days a week.

The NGS is the result of a thorough economic analysis of the national rail system that focused on commercially driven ways to expand the existing network and better serve customers. Not only will the expanded network offer passengers more attractive travel options, but it will also provide Mail and Express customers twice as many shipping lanes than currently exist. Mail and Express, the expedited transportation of time- sensitive shipments, is the fastest growing segment of Amtrak's business, and a key element in Amtrak's strategy to become self-sufficient by 2003.

Amtrak operates a 22,000-mile intercity passenger rail system, serving more than 500 communities in 45 states. Under Amtrak's new leadership, the corporation is turning the corner to become a successful business enterprise. As a part of its turnaround, Amtrak is focusing on growing public and private business partnerships, improving and guaranteeing consistency and quality of service, introducing high-speed rail in the Northeast and developing other high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation 60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Fourth Floor Washington, D.C. 20002-4285 www.amtrak.com

Publication date: 2000-05-12