by Morgan Montalvo
WOAI News
Travelers who prefer the train are asking the cityâs help in convincing Amtrak to increase its east-west service through San Antonio, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The Rail Passengers Association wants Amtrakâs current Sunset Limited Route, which connects New Orleans and Los Angeles, to become a daily service, says Art Reinhardt with the cityâs Transportation and Capital Improvements Dept. The route currently runs three days per week.
âThereâs been a lot of growth along the I-10 Corridor here in Texas and elsewhere, also the increased traffic flow on I-10, so running that other mode is really what itâs about,â Reinhardt says.
Rail Passenger Association spokesman Bruce Ashton says the request for daily service is justified. âI would expect itâll be both for leisure but also for people visiting their families,â says Ashton, âfor veterans to get to the VA Hospital, you know, like for Alpine getting to El Paso or here to San Antonio. They need a better service.â
Ashton says, unlike road and air carriers, Amtrak offers amenities tailor-made for seniors or travelers with mobility challenges.
âAnybody whoâs got an electric scooter â handicapped person â Amtrakâs the only one that can put it on board, right there by your chair. Amtrak has handicapped services; they have handicapped restrooms. Theyâre all on the lower level. No other service in Texas offers that,â says Ashton.
Approval for increased service would be decided by Amtrak and the U.S. Dept of Transportation and could take years for the go-ahead, Reinhardt says.