Caprock Chief

The proposed route of the Caprock Chief would follow the existing BNSF Railway, shown here as it climbs the Caprock Escarpment of the Llano Estacado between Southland and Post, Texas.
Caprock Chief
Legend
 Dist. Station
0 mi Fort Worth
29 mi 
47 km 
 Weatherford
98 mi 
158 km 
 Eastland
152 mi 
245 km 
 Abilene
189 mi 
304 km 
 Sweetwater
307 mi 
494 km 
 Lubbock
350 mi 
563 km 
 Plainview
427 mi 
687 km 
 Amarillo
Texas/Oklahoma border
550 mi 
885 km 
 Boise City
Oklahoma/Colorado border
684 mi 
1101 km 
 La Junta
748 mi 
1204 km 
 Pueblo
792 mi 
1275 km 
 Colorado Springs
855 mi 
1376 km 
 Littleton
867 mi 
1395 km 
 Denver

The Caprock Chief or Caprock Xpress was a proposed Amtrak inter-city rail service which would run from Fort Worth, Texas to Denver, Colorado, passing through the Texas Panhandle, which currently does not have passenger rail service of any kind. Initially proposed 2000-2001, the project has not yet seen significant progress and is unlikely to be implemented. "Caprock" is a geological term for a harder or more resistant rock type overlying a weaker or less resistant rock type, and lends its name to the Caprock Escarpment that defines the edge of the high plains of the Llano Estacado.

Route

The train would run west from Fort Worth across northern Texas, then turn north to run through the Texas Panhandle and the western edge of Oklahoma before entering Colorado. It would serve the following communities:[1]

Both Fort Worth and Denver are served by long-distance trains (the Texas Eagle and California Zephyr, respectively), but there has not been a direct connection between the two cities since the end of most private passenger transportation in 1971. As of 2010, any such trip would have to route via either Chicago, Illinois or the West Coast of the United States, a detour of over a thousand miles.

Fort Worth is also served by the Heartland Flyer, which connects it to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, while La Junta is a stop on the transcontinental Southwest Chief. None of the other proposed station stops have train service. In the past there have been proposals to re-route the existing Sunset Limited (Los Angeles—Orlando) farther north to serve the Fort Worth—Sweetwater segment.[2]

Development

The impetus for the route came from the Texas Association of Rail Passengers (TARP), which lobbied local governments to support the concept.[3] In late 2001 a visit by Amtrak officials to Lubbock produced discussion, but no commitment from the corporation.[4]

In early 2002 the Amarillo City Commission voted unanimously in favor of "a resolution supporting proposed Amtrak rail service expansion to provide a direct route through the Panhandle of Texas from Fort Worth, Texas to Denver, Colorado via the Caprock Chief line."[5] The Lubbock chamber of commerce also voiced its support for the route, with 92% of its members in favor.[6] Commenting on the proposal, representative Mac Thornberry warned that "Having Amtrak service through the Panhandle would be a good thing for our region...but it won't be easy. Our nation's rail infrastructure faces some serious challenges, and Amtrak is already heavily subsidized by the taxpayers. Any new routes will have to improve Amtrak's financial situation, rather than make it worse."[7]

By 2004 the president of the TARP acknowledged that the proposal was dead: "It's probably years off before this can be considered...We figure you've got to start talking about it at some point. It has to be an idea and you have to develop that idea."[8] The proposal reemerged in 2013–2014, when Amtrak contemplated re-routing the Southwest Chief via Amarillo. TARP officials expected that the change could make Amarillo a hub for train services. The Caprock Chief, with termini in Denver and Fort Worth, would allow passengers to transfer at Amarillo to increase ridership of the Southwest Chief.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Texans think about a new train". Destination: Freedom (National Corridors Initiative) 2 (36). September 10, 2001. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  2. ↑ Wilson, Anthony (August 9, 2001). "Amtrak ponders 'Caprock Chief'". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  3. ↑ Albright, Max (September 7, 2001). "New Amtrak route proposed". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  4. ↑ Van Wagenen, Chris (November 8, 2001). "Lubbock has shot at Amtrak: Company official unwilling to rule out bringing rail service". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  5. ↑ "Minutes" (PDF). January 22, 2002. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  6. ↑ Van Wagenen, Chris (August 2, 2001). "Lubbock officials backing plans for Amtrak rail service". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  7. ↑ "Editorial: Caprock Chief has possibilities". Amarillo Globe-News. January 27, 2002. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  8. ↑ Schwarz, George (June 25, 2004). "Passenger trains not an option for us". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  9. ↑ Nett, Walt. "Possible Amtrak route change revives Lubbock passenger rail hopes". Lubbick Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 17, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.