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When making our reservations to Phoenix/Maricopa on the Texas Eagle we had to take coach tickets that require us to "switch trains" in San Antonio. Being that we have two young children and in the middle of the night, what are the chances that we will be put on the LA bound part of the Eagle and not have to carry kids to another car aboard the Sunset Ltd.?
UncleBuck44 Member # 2049
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An OK chance. Where are you coming from?
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Joe - I believe there are both through coaches and through sleepers on the Texas Eagle from Chicago-Phoenix. What you will actually be doing is "switching" from the Texas Eagle to the Sunset Ltd in San Antonio (the Sunset goes to L.A. from Orlando, FL and passes through New Orleans and Houston before it takes on the Eagle cars at San Antonio). You need to ask the AMTRAK reservations people to be put in the "through coach" to avoid having to physically change cars in the middle of the night. If you are in the through coach, you will not have to physically move, but there will be a lot of car switching and back-and-forth train movements while you are stopped in San Antonio overnight.
rmiller Member # 341
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Yes, there are through cars, but they don't operate daily, perhaps that is why a change of cars is required?
mr williams Member # 1928
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RRRich is correct - the train divides at San Antonio and one coach & one sleeper is hooked onto the back of the Sunset, so you don't need to physically disembark and join the other train. You should automatically be allocated seats in the through coach if you are going beyond San Antonio but check with the conductor as soon as you get on just in case they've fouled up.
One thing I would mention just in case you are unfamiliar with the area - Maricopa is an unmanned station in an out of the way area, about 20 miles from downtown Phoenix, the train arrives somewhere near midnight and there is no bus connection or public transport, so if you are not being collected by friends or family you'll need to book a taxi in advance or face a mighty long walk.
mr williams Member # 1928
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rmiller is correct that through cars don't operate daily on the Eagle but that's simply because the Sunset only runs three days a week - you can't change cars on the other days because there's nothing to change on to!
rmiller Member # 341
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don't know what I was thinking....you are correct, Mr. Williams. The original poster should be directed to the through coach when he is trainside and either shows his ticket or announces his destination to the attendant or conductor. There will be no need to leave the train to change cars at San Antonio.
Geoff Mayo Member # 153
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The only possibility I can think of is that the through coach has been fully booked... but in mid-Winter on the Eagle...?
Geoff M.
mr williams Member # 1928
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Not very likely, I agree, Geoff. One question on Maricopa, though: when it opened the Amtrak bus from Tucson-Phoenix was withdrawn. Amtrak were mulling over the possibility of a bus connection from Maricopa but nothing ever came of it. I remember reading on the rail news page about a year ago that some locals were trying to get something started but again there doesn't seem to have been any progress. Has the idea totally died a death? And is Phoenix the biggest city in America without passenger train service?
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