AMTRAK TEXAS EAGLE ADDS STOP IN HOPE, ARK.; Schedule effective April 4; Tickets now on sale
The Amtrak Texas Eagle will serve the city of Hope, Ark., starting April 4. Tickets are available to serve the Hempstead County seat, a Southwestern Arkansas community of more than 10,000 that is also the location of former President Bill Clinton's birthplace, now an historic site under the National Park Service. A major celebration is being planned in Hope with local and Amtrak officials later this spring.
The westbound Texas Eagle (Train 21) is scheduled to depart Hope at 5:09 every morning, with arrivals that morning in Dallas, that afternoon in Fort Worth and that evening in Austin and San Antonio. The eastbound Texas Eagle (Train 22) is schedule to depart Hope at 9:18 every evening, with arrivals in Little Rock that night, St. Louis the following morning and Chicago that afternoon.
Connections to other Amtrak trains can be made in Fort Worth, San Antonio, St. Louis and Chicago to Oklahoma City, Kansas City and more than 500 locations in the Amtrak network.
A schedule is attached and sample fares are below, adult each-way, as low as:
Hope To Dallas $39.00 Hope To Little Rock $18.00 Hope To Fort Worth $39.00 Hope To St. Louis $66.00 Hope To Austin $65.00 Hope To Springfield, Ill. $77.00 Hope To San Antonio $73.00 Hope To Chicago $106.00 Hope To Oklahoma City* $67.00 Hope To Kansas City** $95.00
*Transfer required at Fort Worth ** Transfer required at St. Louis
Ticketing and reservations can be done using Amtrak eTicketing and boarding documents can be self-printed, as the Hope station is unstaffed. Passengers using a smartphone or another mobile device can present the eTicket to the conductor by opening a document in their e-mail.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Sure wish I could find some photographs of the Hope station (and it's long maligned platform) online somewhere.
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I don't know if it is proper etiquette to name another railfan site, but there are pix in trainorders (Very small pictures for those of us who are not members).
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I'm curious---has the Texas Eagle always gone through Hope without stopping, and now they are adding in this stop along the same route? Or is the train diverting away from its normal route in order to serve Hope?
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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I believe Hope is on the Union Pacific line the Texas Eagle traverses (ex Missouri Pacific), but will defer to GBN and others regarding the history.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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The Eagle always ran through Hope. No hope for a sinister plot engineered by the Clintons here.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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LOL, okay thanks. (You mean there's no free shuttle bus to the Clinton Library and Massage Parlor???)
RRRICH Member # 1418
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I believe adding this stop has been in the works for a few years now. I'm glad to see it's finally going to come to fruition.
And yes, the TE has always been routed through Hope.
palmland Member # 4344
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In the 50's, Hope had 3 trains in each direction stopping there. In addition two sections of the Texas Eagle blew by in the middle of the night. This was Missouri Pacific's main line, later UP. There is an alternate freight route over a portion that the UP now uses as well.
Amtrak must be well aware of the political value in adding this as a stop.
notelvis Member # 3071
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#21 is reported on-time out of Texarkana this morning. Looks like Hope had it's first official stop a couple of hours ago!
notelvis Member # 3071
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And here is coverage (with photos and fireworks) of the Texas Eagle's 1st stop in Hope from the local newspaper.
It occurs to me that there are likely a number of other small towns along active Amtrak LD routes that would be willing to fix up and maintain the old depot in return for an Amtrak stop given the opportunity.
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by notelvis: [QB] And here is coverage (with photos and fireworks) of the Texas Eagle's 1st stop in Hope from the local newspaper.
It occurs to me that there are likely a number of other small towns along active Amtrak LD routes that would be willing to fix up and maintain the old depot in return for an Amtrak
***************** Hear, hear! The next one to be fixed up and reopened might possibly be Sandpoint, Idaho. Scheduled to reopen by the end of the year:
quote:Originally posted by palmland: In the 50's, Hope had 3 trains in each direction stopping there. In addition two sections of the Texas Eagle blew by in the middle of the night. This was Missouri Pacific's main line, later UP. There is an alternate freight route over a portion that the UP now uses as well.
Amtrak must be well aware of the political value in adding this as a stop.
During MoPac days this was the main line for both freight and passenger. North of Poplar Bluff the freight went east on a low grade route that was in part joint with Cotton Belt (St. Louis Southwestern, owned by Southern Pacific). Don't know today's division of freight traffic between the line through Little Rock and Hope (ex MoPac) and the line through Pine Bluff and Camden (ex SSW).
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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Does the Eagle always run with one locomotive? Evidently luck is involved in getting to Hope.
palmland Member # 4344
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quote:Originally posted by yukon11: [QUOTE]Originally posted by notelvis: [QB] And here is coverage (with photos and fireworks) of the Texas Eagle's 1st stop in Hope from the local newspaper.
It occurs to me that there are likely a number of other small towns along active Amtrak LD routes that would be willing to fix up and maintain the old depot in return for an Amtrak
***************** Hear, hear! The next one to be fixed up and reopened might possibly be Sandpoint, Idaho. Scheduled to reopen by the end of the year:
Thanks for the tip, we'll be driving through that part of the country in a couple months and may well use Sandpoint as an overnight between Seattle and Glacier.
yukon11 Member # 2997
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I can't find any more info, Palmland, as to when the Sandpoint station might reopen. Hopefully, sooner than later. From my AAA tour book, it looks like the Best Western might be your best bet if you overnight in Sandpoint. Another suggestion, for overnight between Seattle and Glacier, would be Coeur D'Alene.. a very nice and scenic town with a lot of good lodging.
When the Sandpoint station reopens, the only drawback, for me, is the late arrival of the Builder, both westbound and eastbound. Eastbound, the Builder arrives at 2:35 AM, which probably would be difficult to change.
Westbound, it arrives at 11:49 PM. I can't help wishing the westbound Builder would leave Chicago in the late morning, say 10-11 AM. That would mean it would get to Glacier Park, Whitefish, and Sandpoint at a much more reasonable time. Also, it could then get into Seattle by 7-8 AM. It would make for a connection with the southbound Coast Starlight, which leaves at 9 AM. It would also be easier to get to the Sea-Tac airport for a morning flight.
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