Closing Out FRA Corridor ID Step 1 (Scope, Schedule, and Budget), Entering Step 2 (Service Development Plan) soon
Step 2 of FRA’s Corridor ID program is expected to be completed in approximately two and a half years
Entered into Step 1 of the FRA Corridor ID Program – Scope, Schedule, and Budget
Starting Step 2: Service Development Plan (Early 2025)
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Amtrak
FRA Corridor ID Program: $500,000 to enter Step 1, Amtrak Program Income
The route has a travel time of approximately 46.5 hours end-to-end and serves communities in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The project would leverage the existing Amtrak service on the route and associated relationships with the host railroads. Stations, crew bases, maintenance, and other operational facilities are already in place.
The Sunset Limited connects rural residents to larger cities like San Antonio, Tucson, Los Angeles and New Orleans. The daily schedule would allow for greater mobility for customers traveling to major centers of employment, healthcare, education, and entertainment in the numerous communities served along the route.
The project will also consider the return of the Sunset Limited to Phoenix, AZ. Direct Amtrak service to Phoenix ceased in 1996 when Union Pacific rerouted its freight trains and took a lengthy track segment out of service. Additionally, a return to Phoenix, the largest city in the country with no passenger rail service, would add service to a critical market.
