# Train to Galveston



## Train Couple (Oct 4, 2012)

Is there a train from Dallas to Galveston?Thanks!


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## wmk (Oct 4, 2012)

Train Couple said:


> Is there a train from Dallas to Galveston?Thanks!



Nope .......sorry,wish there was :angry:


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 5, 2012)

Nope and it ain't going to happen anytime soon. Too bad Texas does not support pax trains much. Your best bet would be Greyhound Lines.


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## cirdan (Oct 5, 2012)

There's no Amtrak train, but there is an Amtrak bus that starts from Longview.

When you come from Dallas though, the connection doesn't make much sense.

Greyhound is your better bet. That trip would involve a transfer in Houston.

So get a bus from Dallas to Houston and another from Houston to Galveston.


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## tampasteve1 (Oct 5, 2012)

As others said, not train, but there are a number of intercity bus routes. For example, Greyhound as others mentioned. You could also look at Kerrville and Megabus Bus Lines. Kerrville has a route from Dallas to Galveston, but there is a almost 24hr layover in Houston. Also, Megabus goes from Dallas to Houston, so you could book a combination of Megabus and Kerrville. A combination of lines would be the best bus option. Megabus leaves Dallas at multiple times each day so there are lots of choices. Then you can go Greyhound or Kerrville to Galveston.

Steve


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## fairviewroad (Oct 5, 2012)

Another obvious option would be to fly Southwest Airlines from Dallas-Love Field to Houston-Hobby Airport on the southeast side of the

Houston metro area, then rent a car and drive the remaining 40 miles to Galveston. Or take a Supershuttle from the airport to Galveston.

Spendy, but much quicker than Greyhound.

Or for that matter, if driving is an option just drive the whole way from Dallas to Galveston...it's only 5 1/2 hours which would be much,

much faster than Greyhound or anything else that requires a connection. But if driving is not an option, and flying is too expensive,

then you're pretty much dependent on one of the bus options listed above.


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## tonys96 (Oct 5, 2012)

Megabus actually leaves from Grand Prairie, not Dallas.

I would do Southwest, though.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 6, 2012)

Oh, god, I don't like where this there is going!

1. DON'T take Megabus, the DOT says that they have 85.9% fatigued driving and they use horrible Van Hool TD925 coaches!

2. DON't take Southwest, their planes are awful 737s and their prices are too high! Also, it's not good to go through an airport for such a short trip!


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## VentureForth (Oct 7, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> Oh, god, I don't like where this there is going!
> 
> 1. DON'T take Megabus, the DOT says that they have 85.9% fatigued driving and they use horrible Van Hool TD925 coaches!
> 
> 2. DON't take Southwest, their planes are awful 737s and their prices are too high! Also, it's not good to go through an airport for such a short trip!


It'd be cool if you could link to your claims. For short page hauls, I'd much prefer Southwest's 737s over regional jets which seem to be taking over most short and medium distance flights on other airlines. And Southwest sill  ranks 7th. As for Megabus, I can't comment.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 7, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> > Oh, god, I don't like where this there is going!
> ...


I hate 737s, IMO they are far less comfortable than a intercontinental 747 but since the distance is so short I still like a Greyhound 102DL3 better than a Southwest 737.

Now for Megabus, there you go: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/Data/carrier.aspx?enc=Vx5RuGJ30z2B+BONp2RGLw==


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## Texan Eagle (Oct 8, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> I hate 737s, IMO they are far less comfortable than a intercontinental 747 but since the distance is so short I still like a Greyhound 102DL3 better than a Southwest 737.


If *you* hate 737, it does not mean you have to force your opinion on others. And sorry, the days of 747 are gone, you need to come out from the rock and embrace the present. You ain't gonna get a 747 on a domestic flight. If you ask me to choose, I'd happily take a Southwest 737 over a Greyhound, but that's my personal opinion and I am not telling the OP whether or not to take one or the other.

For going from Dallas to Galveston, my order of preference would be-

1) Drive all the way

2) Take Megabus (if reaching Grand Prairie is convenient) to Houston and drive a rental car from there

3) Take a Southwest flight to Houston and rent a car to drive to Galveston

4) Take Greyhound


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## cirdan (Oct 8, 2012)

I've never been to Galveston so can't comment on that part of the journey.

But I went from Houston to Dallas on Greyhound in May of this year, and was very satisfied.

The seats on the bus were very wide and spacious with plenty of space for my legs to stretch. Much nicer than seats on any airline I've been on (and that includes business class seats)

When i went the bus was more than half empty, so I had a row to myself and could stretch out and catch up with some sleep.

The bus also has WiFi (free), and I spent some time catching up with my emails. So all in all it was far superior to flying. And probably just as fast judging by what a pain it is to get to DFW on public transportation.

The whole trip cost me 35 dollars. A taxi to the airport would have cost me more. I don't really think Southwest can measure on shortish trips like that.

But I know that others are of differing opinion, so each unto his own.


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## George Harris (Oct 8, 2012)

Train service into Galveston ended in 1950-something. never even got close to Amtrak's start date. I think Houston-Galveston would make a wonderful interurban type service, but something would have to be done about the 10,000 road crossings and low speed limits on the railroad.


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## Eric S (Oct 8, 2012)

There have been studies and proposals for Houston-Galvestion commuter rail service in recent years, including one that estimated that corridor would have the highest ridership of the half-dozen or so corridors radiating from Houston that were studied. So far, however, it seems the Houston region has been concentrating on expanding the, by most accounts, quite successful light rail line/system first.


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## George Harris (Oct 8, 2012)

Eric S said:


> So far, however, it seems the Houston region has been concentrating on expanding the, by most accounts, quite successful light rail line/system first.


They are? Tell us more. I had the impression that was not going to happen.


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## AlanB (Oct 8, 2012)

George Harris said:


> Eric S said:
> 
> 
> > So far, however, it seems the Houston region has been concentrating on expanding the, by most accounts, quite successful light rail line/system first.
> ...


There are several lines already under construction. Info on that and the other plans can be found here.

A quick stop giving percentages for progress on the various phases on the lines can be found here.


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## Eric S (Oct 8, 2012)

George Harris said:


> Eric S said:
> 
> 
> > So far, however, it seems the Houston region has been concentrating on expanding the, by most accounts, quite successful light rail line/system first.
> ...


Well, Alan beat me to it. Was your impression just that (an impression), or had you seen/read indications that METRO Rail expansion was on hold/deferred/cancelled. (I hope that doesn't come across as combative or condescending. Rather, I meant it as an honest question.)


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 8, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> > I hate 737s, IMO they are far less comfortable than a intercontinental 747 but since the distance is so short I still like a Greyhound 102DL3 better than a Southwest 737.
> ...


Hmm, you taken Greyhound much? Just reading reviews or taking one or two 102DL3s does not tell the whole story.



AlanB said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> > Eric S said:
> ...


Have they solved the multitude of accidents yet?


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## George Harris (Oct 9, 2012)

Eric S said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> > Eric S said:
> ...


Wow, oh wow! Yes, it was an impression on my part. I had quit looking for anything to happen in the Houston direction. I kept an eye on things for quite a few years, but got the impression that when the first line was built that was going to be it and the city would never do rail again. So, I put Houston in my don't bother looking bucket.

I am very happy to see this happening. Generally, if you can ever get people acquainted with rail it will sell itself from that point forward. And to see them going more than one way at a time. Awesome!!!!!


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## cirdan (Oct 9, 2012)

George Harris said:


> Eric S said:
> 
> 
> > So far, however, it seems the Houston region has been concentrating on expanding the, by most accounts, quite successful light rail line/system first.
> ...


I spent several days in Houston in May and there was very visible construction going on, with tracks already fitted in places. I believe three different lines are being built at the same time. Two further lines are on hold for now, but they were always more long-termish anyway. So all in all it's pretty substantial progress.


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## cirdan (Oct 9, 2012)

George Harris said:


> Wow, oh wow! Yes, it was an impression on my part. I had quit looking for anything to happen in the Houston direction. I kept an eye on things for quite a few years, but got the impression that when the first line was built that was going to be it and the city would never do rail again. So, I put Houston in my don't bother looking bucket.
> 
> I am very happy to see this happening. Generally, if you can ever get people acquainted with rail it will sell itself from that point forward. And to see them going more than one way at a time. Awesome!!!!!


In terms of ridership, the Hoston Metro is already ahead of many systems that are larger than it, being number 14 (out of 35) in terms of ridership counts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_light_rail_systems_by_ridership


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## cirdan (Oct 9, 2012)

cirdan said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> > Wow, oh wow! Yes, it was an impression on my part. I had quit looking for anything to happen in the Houston direction. I kept an eye on things for quite a few years, but got the impression that when the first line was built that was going to be it and the city would never do rail again. So, I put Houston in my don't bother looking bucket.
> ...


In fact (according to the above table) in terms of boardings per route mile, Houston is number 2 in the US ranking, surpassed only by Boston.


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## ehbowen (Oct 9, 2012)

George Harris said:


> Train service into Galveston ended in 1950-something. never even got close to Amtrak's start date. I think Houston-Galveston would make a wonderful interurban type service, but something would have to be done about the 10,000 road crossings and low speed limits on the railroad.


1967, and the Santa Fe route through Alvin adds only 3 miles to the GH&H's distance...and it was running 90 mph into the '60s and is still in great shape.


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## George Harris (Oct 9, 2012)

ehbowen said:


> George Harris said:
> 
> 
> > Train service into Galveston ended in 1950-something. never even got close to Amtrak's start date. I think Houston-Galveston would make a wonderful interurban type service, but something would have to be done about the 10,000 road crossings and low speed limits on the railroad.
> ...


My error. I was thinking of the service on the GH&H, most likely because our origin points would have been on the MoPac.


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## ehbowen (Oct 9, 2012)

Yes, MoPac dropped service to Galveston sometime between 1954 and 1955. The old GH&H has a decent alignment, but as you correctly note there are a plethora of grade crossings. Plus, the ABS was pulled out sometime in the late 1990s.

The GH&H line actually hosted a passenger service, called the _Texas Limited_, in the first half of the 1990s. Five (or so) restored lightweight cars and an F7, with T&E crew supplied by Amtrak (who was also operating a Houston section of the _Texas Eagle_ during that time frame). It had some modest success in its first few years of operation, but Union Pacific refused to consider maintaining the tracks to any standard above Class 2. A two-and-a-half hour trip to Galveston didn't have a whole lot of appeal when you can drive that distance on the Gulf Freeway in little over an hour, even in weekend rush traffic. In addition, Amtrak wanted so much rent to sublease part of that pitiful small-town bus depot known as the Houston Amtrak Station that you would have thought it appropriate for a major tenant at Grand Central Terminal. About 1993 or so the _Texas Limited_ operators moved their Houston terminal to a former Katy freight depot in The Heights a few miles northwest of downtown...but that made the trip times even longer.

I still wonder what might have happened had this operation shifted to the Santa Fe alignment through Alvin, but to the best of my understanding this was never seriously considered as the major investors in this service were from League City and wanted an en route stop there. Unfortunately, there's not a great deal of pent-up demand for 25 mph passenger train service between The Heights and League City....


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## printman2000 (Oct 10, 2012)

ehbowen said:


> Yes, MoPac dropped service to Galveston sometime between 1954 and 1955. The old GH&H has a decent alignment, but as you correctly note there are a plethora of grade crossings. Plus, the ABS was pulled out sometime in the late 1990s.
> 
> The GH&H line actually hosted a passenger service, called the _Texas Limited_, in the first half of the 1990s. Five (or so) restored lightweight cars and an F7, with T&E crew supplied by Amtrak (who was also operating a Houston section of the _Texas Eagle_ during that time frame). It had some modest success in its first few years of operation, but Union Pacific refused to consider maintaining the tracks to any standard above Class 2. A two-and-a-half hour trip to Galveston didn't have a whole lot of appeal when you can drive that distance on the Gulf Freeway in little over an hour, even in weekend rush traffic. In addition, Amtrak wanted so much rent to sublease part of that pitiful small-town bus depot known as the Houston Amtrak Station that you would have thought it appropriate for a major tenant at Grand Central Terminal. About 1993 or so the _Texas Limited_ operators moved their Houston terminal to a former Katy freight depot in The Heights a few miles northwest of downtown...but that made the trip times even longer.
> 
> I still wonder what might have happened had this operation shifted to the Santa Fe alignment through Alvin, but to the best of my understanding this was never seriously considered as the major investors in this service were from League City and wanted an en route stop there. Unfortunately, there's not a great deal of pent-up demand for 25 mph passenger train service between The Heights and League City....


My wife and I rode the Texas Limited twice round trip. They actually had two F7's. Both were stored at the Galveston Rail Museum when the last big storm hit. They were sold for scrap.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 11, 2012)

25 mph is pathetically bad. Those investors sure weren't too smart.


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## cirdan (Oct 11, 2012)

From the latest I heard, the latest version of plans for commuter rail won't actually feauture a downtown station, but the trains will end at Fannin South from where passengers will catch the Metro to go downtown.

Maybe the number of people transferring between Amtrak and commuter rail will be fairly low, so I can see the logic in not sharing a station, but Fannin South is so far out that it defeats the point of commuter rail..

I hope they re-think this before actually spending money on it.


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## JoeBas (Oct 11, 2012)

FWIW, UP did put quite a bit of work into the GH&H over the last 18 months, particularly ballast and ties. Did this increase the track class?


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## Eric S (Oct 11, 2012)

cirdan said:


> From the latest I heard, the latest version of plans for commuter rail won't actually feauture a downtown station, but the trains will end at Fannin South from where passengers will catch the Metro to go downtown.
> 
> Maybe the number of people transferring between Amtrak and commuter rail will be fairly low, so I can see the logic in not sharing a station, but Fannin South is so far out that it defeats the point of commuter rail..
> 
> I hope they re-think this before actually spending money on it.


Wasn't that just for the southwest commuter rail line (don't recall off-hand what it's actually been referred to)? And I believe it was related to the particular configuration/layout of the rail network, such that a commuter rail line coming from the southwest would have a rather roundabout routing in order to reach the once-planned intermodal station (commuter rail, light rail, Amtrak) just north of downtown. I didn't think all of the various commuter rail lines (if/when any are actually begun) were to terminate at Fannin South.


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## henryj (Oct 11, 2012)

cirdan said:


> From the latest I heard, the latest version of plans for commuter rail won't actually feauture a downtown station, but the trains will end at Fannin South from where passengers will catch the Metro to go downtown.
> 
> Maybe the number of people transferring between Amtrak and commuter rail will be fairly low, so I can see the logic in not sharing a station, but Fannin South is so far out that it defeats the point of commuter rail..
> 
> I hope they re-think this before actually spending money on it.


These people have no idea what they are doing. They also proposed commuter rail out highway 290 which would stop at the 610 loop and transfer passengers to buses or light rail. They are just idiots. The problem is no one will commit to building an inter-modal station in downtown Houston. Metro had one on the drawing boards to be located just off North Main with a light rail station included in it. It would have included Amtrak, commuter rail, buses and light rail. But now it's no longer being considered. The last thing I heard someone talk about was converting the downtown post office building into an intermodal terminal. The Post Office is moving out. That building stands exactly where the old SP depot used to be. Dallas builds and builds and Houston procrastinates.


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## cirdan (Oct 12, 2012)

henryj said:


> cirdan said:
> 
> 
> > From the latest I heard, the latest version of plans for commuter rail won't actually feauture a downtown station, but the trains will end at Fannin South from where passengers will catch the Metro to go downtown.
> ...


True, waht's happening in Dallas is quite amazing.

However, there too, the same sort of flawed logic seems to have slipped in when it comes to the Denton A-train. This connects to DART. I wonder whether it would be possible to actually run to downtown Dallas on DART tracks. The A-train units are already light rail-ish, so surely it would have been possible to make them compatible to DART infrastructure. Maybe the same could be done in Houston?


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## VentureForth (Oct 12, 2012)

Eric S said:


> cirdan said:
> 
> 
> > From the latest I heard, the latest version of plans for commuter rail won't actually feauture a downtown station, but the trains will end at Fannin South from where passengers will catch the Metro to go downtown.
> ...


Once you get out of Galveston, there is a split. One follows Hwy 3 almost directly to the North end of Downtown. The other follows Hwy 6 to Alvin then cuts up (and passes right past Hobby along the way). Both of these look like great routes until you get to US 59 which crosses over a pulled up section of the rail that would tie it nicely into the Amtrak station area. Unless they rebuild that 1 mile of track over the Heights bike trail, there is no good approach into the existing Amtrak station.

The approach into South Fannin would be so far out the way, and I've been to South Fannin - it's way the heck out in the middle of freakin' nowhere.

The current Amtrak station isn't beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. But there is a lot of space there. It could make for a nice intermodal station right there on the North side of the city.

Hmmm.. Now that I look at it, keep the light rail where it's at, put the Amtrak station where it goes under U of H Downtown, rebuild the Heights Bike Trail back to Rail and drop in a commuter line to Galveston.

Problem solved. $100 Million and 14 months should do the trick.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 13, 2012)

cirdan said:


> From the latest I heard, the latest version of plans for commuter rail won't actually feauture a downtown station, but the trains will end at Fannin South from where passengers will catch the Metro to go downtown.
> 
> Maybe the number of people transferring between Amtrak and commuter rail will be fairly low, so I can see the logic in not sharing a station, but Fannin South is so far out that it defeats the point of commuter rail..
> 
> I hope they re-think this before actually spending money on it.


This is messed up. This looks like an old interurba n when it's actually commuter rail. It'll probably fail unless they solve the promlem.


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## henryj (Oct 13, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> Unless they rebuild that 1 mile of track over the Heights bike trail, there is no good approach into the existing Amtrak station.


Sure there is, you just go up to the jct at tower 26 back through the wye and head to the Amtrak depot. The Heights trail track was just junk. No one maintained it or used it so they tore it up.


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## cirdan (Oct 14, 2012)

VentureForth said:


> The current Amtrak station isn't beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. But there is a lot of space there. It could make for a nice intermodal station right there on the North side of the city.
> 
> Hmmm.. Now that I look at it, keep the light rail where it's at, put the Amtrak station where it goes under U of H Downtown, rebuild the Heights Bike Trail back to Rail and drop in a commuter line to Galveston.
> 
> Problem solved. $100 Million and 14 months should do the trick.


My understanding is that there was once a plan for an intermodal station right next to UH-Downtown. Amtrak and commuter rail would have been on the lower level, Metro on the upper level and there would also have been a bus station. The whole thing would have been under a stunning roof with escalators between the levels. But then the plans got buried and Houston actually sold that land, making it more difficult to ever revive those plans.


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## Twin Star Rocket (Oct 14, 2012)

There were once 3 steam road lines and one electric interurban line from Houston to Galveston. Katy exited from the GH&H line in the 40s. I&GN (MP) exited the GH&H line in the early fifties as did SP on their own line. Santa Fe continued service on its line until 1967 with a short shuttle train transferring passengers across the platform to the TEXAS CHIEF in Houston.

By the way, the Galveston RR Museum is offering a special excursion train on the BNSF route (ex-Santa Fe) to Galveston on November 10th. Check out their website!


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 15, 2012)

Twin Star Rocket said:


> There were once 3 steam road lines and one electric interurban line from Houston to Galveston. Katy exited from the GH&H line in the 40s. I&GN (MP) exited the GH&H line in the early fifties as did SP on their own line. Santa Fe continued service on its line until 1967 with a short shuttle train transferring passengers across the platform to the TEXAS CHIEF in Houston.
> 
> By the way, the Galveston RR Museum is offering a special excursion train on the BNSF route (ex-Santa Fe) to Galveston on November 10th. Check out their website!


What was that interurban called?


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## cirdan (Oct 15, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> What was that interurban called?


Galveston-Houston Electric Railway

Some nice pictures here:

http://members.iglou.../interurban.htm


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## Swadian Hardcore (Oct 15, 2012)

cirdan said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> > What was that interurban called?
> ...


Now THIS is what Houston-Galveston needs! Modern version, of course, unless you want it to use replica old streetcars.


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## henryj (Oct 15, 2012)

You can ride Houston to Galveston from the Houston Amtrak depot on Saturday November 10th for the Grand Reopening of the Galveston RR Museum. Here is the link. http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/grrm_docs/great_grand_reopening.pdf


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 15, 2012)

henryj said:


> You can ride Houston to Galveston from the Houston Amtrak depot on Saturday November 10th for the Grand Reopening of the Galveston RR Museum. Here is the link. http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/grrm_docs/great_grand_reopening.pdf


Henry:Thanks for Posting! :hi: Will the consist be old Santa Fe Equipment pulled by Engines in War Bonnet Paint as the Picture shows> It mentions Coach Seat along with access to a "Lounge" with Available Refreshments and Snacks??? Im interested, IYO is this trip worth $100 from Houston-Galveston-Houston? PM me if you have any info! Jim


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## ehbowen (Oct 16, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> cirdan said:
> 
> 
> > Swadian Hardcore said:
> ...


Unfortunately, most of the right of way (at least that within the city limits of Houston in the 1950s; roughly to Howard Dr./Bellfort Ave.) is now underneath the Gulf Freeway.


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## VentureForth (Oct 16, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> cirdan said:
> 
> 
> > Swadian Hardcore said:
> ...


Use DOODLEBUGS!



jimhudson said:


> henryj said:
> 
> 
> > You can ride Houston to Galveston from the Houston Amtrak depot on Saturday November 10th for the Grand Reopening of the Galveston RR Museum. Here is the link. http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/grrm_docs/great_grand_reopening.pdf
> ...


2 1/2 hour travel time for 50 miles is pretty brutal. Not much scenery except the last 3 miles... But a train ride is a train ride!!


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## henryj (Oct 16, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> henryj said:
> 
> 
> > You can ride Houston to Galveston from the Houston Amtrak depot on Saturday November 10th for the Grand Reopening of the Galveston RR Museum. Here is the link. http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/grrm_docs/great_grand_reopening.pdf
> ...


Jim, I don't know any more about it or even which route they will take. If interested, I would call the museum.

John


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## Janice Bunday (Oct 28, 2013)

Need one way ticket from Dallas to Galveston Texas


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 28, 2013)

Janice Bunday said:


> Need one way ticket from Dallas to Galveston Texas


Right Now due to Track Work you will have to Ride an AMBus from Dallas to Longview,then Catch the AM BUs to Houston and Galveston (Part of your Train Reservation!) When the Trackwork in East Texas is Completed in November, you could Ride the Eagle #22 from Dallas to Longview, then Transfer the Ambus to Galveston!(There is a Nice Rail Museum in Galveston!)

Your Alternative is to ride the Eagle321/#421 from Dallas to San Antonio, catch #2 the Sunset Ltd. (only runs 3 days a Week)to Houston and take a Greyhound to Galveston IF this Rout still Exists??? :help:


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## fairviewroad (Oct 28, 2013)

Janice Bunday said:


> Need one way ticket from Dallas to Galveston Texas


http://www.amtrak.com/home


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## Jonesy (Mar 27, 2014)

According to Greyhound, they no longer offer service to Galveston. I am trying to get from Dallas to Galveston. The nearest stop to Galveston is Angleton.


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## henryj (Mar 27, 2014)

Rent a car.


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