Texas Eagle Guide

The Texas Eagle route is the longest in the United States, connecting Chicago with Los Angeles. Trains stop in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona and California, with more frequent service between Chicago and San Antonio. Trains stop at major cities in Texas and feature Superliner rail cars with an upper and lower level.

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Things to Know

No WiFi
The entire trip is over 65 hours, which is three nights on the train.
The Texas Eagle merges with the Sunset Limited in San Antonio and continues on to California.
Travel to Springfield, IL for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln home and Lincoln tomb.
Maricopa is the stop for Phoenix, which is about 45 minutes away from downtown. You can request a Lyft or Uber car from the Maricopa Station or book your Amtrak ticket to Phoenix, which will include bus service for the last leg of the trip.

Schedule Highlights

Trains depart Chicago in the afternoon.
Trains depart Los Angeles around 10 p.m.
Trains are in Arkansas overnight, especially on westbound trains.
Trip time between Los Angeles and Palm Springs is about 2.5 hours.
Trip time between Dallas and Austin is almost 6 hours.
Trip time between Dallas and San Antonio is about 8 hours.

View latest schedules and timetables on Amtrak.com.

Accommodations

In addition to unassigned coach seats, there are roomettes, bedrooms, family bedrooms and accessible bedrooms (learn about the different sleeping accommodations here). Many people like the upper level for the views, but sitting or reserving sleeping accommodations on the lower level is helpful if you have motion sickness or want to be closer to bathrooms, showers and luggage storage. An observation car is available to all passengers, so even if you sit on the lower level, you have the option to see more scenery upstairs.

Cost

The cost of Amtrak tickets varies by type of ticket, distance traveled, time of year and how early you book your tickets. Coach seats are the most affordable, followed by roomettes and bedrooms.

Here are estimated Texas Eagles prices if you travel the entire route (as of 2022):

$100-$200 for coach seat
$600-$1,000 for a roomette
$1,400 for a family bedroom
$1,400 to $2,000 for a bedroom

Meals and coffee are included if you book sleeping accommodations, and bedroom prices drop under $1,000 if you are traveling between Chicago and either Dallas, Fort Worth or San Antonio.