Southwest Chief vs Texas Eagle

The Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle are long-distance Amtrak routes that travel between Chicago and Los Angeles. The Texas Eagle travels through Texas and stops at many stations there, part of the reason why it is the longest train route in the United States. So if you’re looking for the quickest rail trip between L.A. and Chicago, book tickets on the Southwest Chief (it’s about 20 hours faster!).

Other than differences in travel time, some of the scenery is also different. Both have desert landscapes, but you’ll travel through Apache Canyon and Sangre de Cristo Mountains on Southwest Chief and only view mountains in the distance on the Texas Eagle. But the Texas Eagle will get you near more national parks, including Joshua Tree.

See the chart below to learn more about the two routes. Note that amenities on both trains are the same, including observation cars, sleeper cars and a café.

	Texas Eagle	Southwest Chief
Route Length	4,034 miles	2,265 miles
Travel Time	61+ hours	43 hours
Stations	40+	30+
Frequency	Daily (Chicago-San Antonio) 3x per week (San Antonio-L.A.)	Daily
Train Type	Superliner	Superliner
Dining Options	Café for coach passengers, traditional dining car for sleeper car passengers	Café for coach passengers, traditional dining car for sleeper car passengers
Observation Car	Yes	Yes
WiFi	No	No
States on the Route	Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California	Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California
End-of-the Line Stations	Chicago and Los Angeles	Chicago and Los Angeles
Popular Stops	Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson, Palm Springs, Los Angeles	Chicago, Kansas City, Dodge City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Los Angeles
Landscapes	Midwest and Texas farmland, cattle ranches, rolling hills, mountain ranges, deserts	Midwest farms, Great Plains, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Apache Canyon, deserts
Best Scenery	Mississippi River, distant mountain ranges in West Texas and New Mexico	Apache Canyon, New Mexico desert (pictured above)
National Parks	-Guadalupe Mountains (via El Paso) -Big Bend (via Alpine) -Saguaro (via Tucson) -Joshua Tree (via Palm Springs)	–Grand Canyon (via Flagstaff) -Petrified Forest (via Gallop or Winslow)