Passenger Trains > Nearest Amtrak station to Lubbock, TX?

Not a game but a real question: What is the nearest Amtrak station to Lubbock? ABQ? ELP? Someplace secret in between? I have a Lubbock trip coming up and an excursion might be nice. I can get a car in either El Paso or ABQ and drive but is there some place closer?

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

There might be closer stops on the Sunset Limited route, but you wouldn't necessarily be able to rent cars from them. Looking at a map, I'd go with Albuquerque, since that has the extra benefit of daily service. If you were coming from the East or Midwest, I'd suggest Fort Worth.

The Amtrak website has a feature that allows you to enter your destination and then, thru a link with Google Maps, gives directions, milage info, etc to the nearest Amtrak station.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

The search does not seem to work. It just says there is not a station within 150 miles.

Winnemucca Wrote:
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> The Amtrak website has a feature that allows you
> to enter your destination and then, thru a link
> with Google Maps, gives directions, milage info,
> etc to the nearest Amtrak station.

goxmit Wrote:
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> The search does not seem to work. It just says
> there is not a station within 150 miles.

Apparently it must filter out any locations more than 150 miles from an Amtrak station, which Lubbock most definitely is, figuring that any more than that is not going to be in Amtrak's market area. Here are Google Maps shortest miles from representative Amtrak stations surrounding Lubbock; as noted, not all of the towns would have rental cars available.

Fort Worth - 294
Austin - 372
San Antonio - 388
Sanderson - 294
Alpine - 293
El Paso - 344
Albuquerque - 321
Las Vegas, NM - 270
Raton - 325
La Junta - 391
Garden City - 354
Dodge City - 367

Taking rental availabilities into consideration, it looks like Fort Worth would be your best bet if coming from the east, Albuquerque if coming from the west coast.

Last June's Raton "Track" fire detour got us to Amarillo on #4 but no one detrained there.

I wouldn't count on a rental car in Sanderson TX. It is a flag stop only. Andit is trying to die and blow away, but can't figure out how to do it.

ABQ seems to be a good choice, then head down to Belen, shoot the railrunner, the doodlebug, east to Abo Canyon up to Mountainair. Then to Clovis. Might turn right here at Texico to get a straighter shot to Lubbock. Not missing much at Amarillo. Unless you head to Tucumcari, then over to Logan,NM to shoot the trestle. How much time you have to spend foaming is the key to the situation. And what time of day in each area.
Are you going to take a different route back to ABQ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/12 12:30 by SD45X.

Or, in-order of distance from Lubbock:

Las Vegas, NM - 270
Gainesville, TX - 291
Alpine - 293
Fort Worth - 294
Sanderson - 294
Albuquerque - 321
Raton - 325
El Paso - 344
Garden City - 354
Dodge City - 367
Austin - 372
San Antonio - 388
La Junta - 391

RailNet802, out

ps, you have to go even further to find good fishing. 500 miles in any direction.

Well, when they re-route #3 and # 4 thru Amarillo, that won't be too far. :)

NormSchultze Wrote:
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> I wouldn't count on a rental car in Sanderson TX.
> It is a flag stop only. Andit is trying to die and
> blow away, but can't figure out how to do it.

Alpine is a little bigger place and has a university, but might not have a rental car agency.

Some car rental agencies will drop cars.