Texas Eagle train loss would nix eastward plans
April 2nd, 2017
March 25, 2017 - Glenn Evans - Longview News-Journal -
A planned east-west train route allowing Longview residents to ride to New York and beyond is imperiled under a federal budget proposal that would eliminate funding for long-haul Amtrak routes, including the Texas Eagle.
The so-called Ark-La-Tex Corridor is envisioned by planners in three states to link Dallas/Fort Worth with Atlanta, picking up riders from New Orleans at Meridian, Mississippi, where it would link with Amtrak's Crescent route.
Once in Atlanta, the door would open for Amtrak's entire Northeast Corridor, including New York, Boston and Montreal, Canada.
"We haven't had an east-west connection since 1967," said Richard Anderson, chairman of the Ark-La-Tex Corridor Council. "This will probably go down the tube without the Texas Eagle."
On March 16, President Donald Trump submitted his first budget. In it, he cut $2.4 billion from transportation spending, including the elimination of all 15 of Amtrak's long-haul routes — including the Texas Eagle through Longview.
Read more: https://www.news-journal.com/news/2017/mar/25/texas-eagle-loss-would-nix-eastward-plans/
Additional coverage: http://www.cbs19.tv/news/local/president-trumps-proposed-budget-could-end-east-texas-amtrak-service/425085752
A planned east-west train route allowing Longview residents to ride to New York and beyond is imperiled under a federal budget proposal that would eliminate funding for long-haul Amtrak routes, including the Texas Eagle.
The so-called Ark-La-Tex Corridor is envisioned by planners in three states to link Dallas/Fort Worth with Atlanta, picking up riders from New Orleans at Meridian, Mississippi, where it would link with Amtrak's Crescent route.
Once in Atlanta, the door would open for Amtrak's entire Northeast Corridor, including New York, Boston and Montreal, Canada.
"We haven't had an east-west connection since 1967," said Richard Anderson, chairman of the Ark-La-Tex Corridor Council. "This will probably go down the tube without the Texas Eagle."
On March 16, President Donald Trump submitted his first budget. In it, he cut $2.4 billion from transportation spending, including the elimination of all 15 of Amtrak's long-haul routes — including the Texas Eagle through Longview.
Read more: https://www.news-journal.com/news/2017/mar/25/texas-eagle-loss-would-nix-eastward-plans/
Additional coverage: http://www.cbs19.tv/news/local/president-trumps-proposed-budget-could-end-east-texas-amtrak-service/425085752