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I was looking at the possibility of flying into DFW and taking TRE to FTW and then #21 on home to Austin. It appears that you have to take not one but two busses to get from the DFW terminals to the TRE station. Is that true? That's ridiculous. Too many chances for thngs to go wrong for me to risk it - it would have been fairly close if the Eagle left FTW on time. Not worth it for saving $35 even if I would get a train ride in the bargain. The best rail service to an airport I have ever seen is St. Louis: you just walk out of the terminal and get on the train! Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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BWI is also very good for 'interfacing' air and rail. You can either take the shuttle bus over to the rail station or take the light rail downtown to Penn Station.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I am going to try it. I have booked an 11:40 am arrival at DFW airport. I hope to get the 2:00 Trinity Rail Express to Fort Worth (possibly even an earlier one) to catch the SB Eagle departing 2:40 pm. I am assuming that under no circumstances will that train leave before 2:40 pm and possibly a good deal later. Surely 3 hours will be enough - and it sure beats hanging around Denver airport waiting to change planes.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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You're brave! I hope you have a back-up plan.
Can you not take a taxi from DFW to the TRE station? It's not that far, surely?
I remember getting horribly lost when driving a rental car out of that airport at night. I was supposed to be heading NE but somehow ended up going SW instead but didn't know it at the time. What confused matters further was the street I was looking for existed (separately) on both sides of the airport! I never did find the motel I was supposed to be staying at.
Geoff M.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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I successfully tried the DFW maneuver yesterday.
When I awoke in St. Paul at 6:30 am I called Julie and she told me #21 would be departing Ft. Worth 3 hrs late or later; I called again from the Minneapolis airport and things had improved: 2 hrs late. American Airlines got me to DFW 10 minutes early and I made my way to the pickup point for the "Remote South" parking shuttle. It came right along and took me on a 20 minute ride from terminal A to terminal C and at least 5 miles further to Remote South. There was another shuttle to TRE waiting there but before I could walk the 10 yrds to get on, the driver started to pull away. Only by banging on the side of the bus did I get him to allow me, the sole passenger, to board. Another ride of at least 5 miles. At the TRE station I consulted Julie again and things had improved further - only 1 hr late - so I stuck to Plan A (Plan B was to proceed in the other direction to Dallas and take Greyhound home to Austin) and bought a ticket to Ft. Worth. There were maybe half a dozen people on the platform. By the time the train arrived 15 minutes later another shuttle bus had arrived, also with a lone passenger; this shuttle waited for the train to arrive and presumably took away some of the numerous people who detrained. The TRE train was very nice: clean and comfortable and a smooth ride. There were many people on the train but there was also plenty of room in the two cars for us. I took the train to the Texas & Pacific station and had a look around at the art deco waiting room and walked around downtown Ft. Worth for about an hour. #21 arrived and after a shortened dwell time we left 45 minutes late and I arrived in Austin a mere half an hour late. I was impressed especially considering the miserably cold weather we had both separately started out in. The Superliner was kind of old and shabby but still I felt happy and enjoyed my 4 1/2 hrs aboard. We had one of the new modified dining cars and a pleasant steward named Chris. I had vegetarian lasagna which was fine + a prepackaged cup of HD ice cream. And, Mr. Norman, the opera in St. Paul was stunning! Romeo & Juliette. It was bitterly cold- the Mississippi River viewed from my hotel room window was frozen over. All in all everything went perfectly. Careful planning seems to pay off in convenience although it probably decreases the sense of adventure.
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Geoff M: I remember getting horribly lost when driving a rental car out of that airport at night. I was supposed to be heading NE but somehow ended up going SW instead but didn't know it at the time. What confused matters further was the street I was looking for existed (separately) on both sides of the airport! I never did find the motel I was supposed to be staying at.
Geoff M.
Geoff:
Considering that in addition to being in a strange car in a strange area at night, this also means for you driving on the wrong side of the road, all I can say is that I admire your courage more than I admire your wisdom.
George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: Considering that in addition to being in a strange car in a strange area at night, this also means for you driving on the wrong side of the road, all I can say is that I admire your courage more than I admire your wisdom.
George
I'd certainly driven in the US several times before (on the wrong side of the road!) so that in itself wasn't daunting. But the reason for my visit was an invite to BNSF's NOC on the outskirts of Fort Worth which is a chance that few of us here would give up easily. It should have been so simple: drive north out of the airport, turn right, motel on the right. The cost of three taxis instead of the hire car would have outweighed the costs of such. Thankfully my lack of navigation didn't lead me into any areas best avoided.
But, yes, I am adventurous (aka reckless). But I don't consider a simple trip like that to be risky! It should have been so simple...
Geoff M.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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to get from the DFW terminals to the TRE station. Is that true? That's ridiculous. Too many chances for thngs to go wrong for me to risk it - it would have been fairly close if the Eagle left FTW on time. Not worth it for saving $35 even if I would get a train ride in the bargain. The best rail service to an airport I have ever seen is St. Louis: you just walk out of the terminal and get on the train! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
