West Texans are known for taking road trips, but what if you could load up on a passenger train instead travel east to Fort Worth or continue west towards Denver? For many who love trains, the idea is appealing. And it almost happened 26 years ago.

Choo-choo, Passenger Rail Service in Lubbock?

From 2000-2001 there was a proposal for passenger rail service from Fort Worth, through Lubbock, to Denver. The proposed service would have been called the Caprock Chief, or Caprock Xpress. The route would have run west from Fort Worth and have stops in Weatherford, Eastland, Abilene, Sweetwater, Lubbock, Plainview, Amarillo, Boise City in Oklahoma, La Junta, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Denver all in Colorado.

Lubbock Chamber Supported the Idea

Other Texas cities backed the idea. According to Amarillo Globe archives, the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce in 2001 supported two rail plans including a plan that would have included Midland/Odessa. In 2002, the Amarillo City Council voted in favor of a resolution supporting rail service via the Caprock Chief line.

The Dream of Rail Service in Lubbock Dies

But a proposal and a dream is about as far as the idea got. There never seemed to be much momentum behind the idea and at the time Amtrak was not in a great financial situation. The idea for passenger rail service for Lubbock pretty much died in 2004 when the Texas Association of Rail Passengers President gave signals that the proposal was dead according to a Wikipedia entry on the rail service.

We aren’t likely to see a major push for rail service out here. Those trying to launch a Houston to Dallas line have the plagued with problem. So road trips and air travel it is.

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