How many times have delays on San Antonio’s I-35 made you late to an event? For some Texans, navigating construction, crashes or overzealous drivers is so inconvenient that they’re looking for other options.<\/p>\n
In a controversial TikTok post<\/a> shared on Wednesday, October 7, one user, Heather Roberts, wrote that they would rather take a double-digit-hour train ride than brave the infamous highway. The post showed them on an Amtrak, surrounded by blankets and pillows.<\/p>\n “I’d rather bedrot on a train for 10 hours than fight traffic & be annoyed for 4-5 hours to get from Dallas to San Antonio,” Roberts captioned their post. “But that’s just me.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The Amtrak route from the 210 to North Texas takes roughly eight hours and 35 minutes, according to the Amtrak website<\/a>. It’s a tempting option that may not cost as much as you think. There is an option to book a private room, which starts at $191. However, coach seats start at $27, less than it costs to fuel up your tank. Still, some social media users weren’t sold on the option.<\/p>\n “No thanks,” one user, @Nester402, commented on Roberts’ video<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another commented, “But then you don\u2019t have a car when you get there, and if you rent one, it’s so much more expensive, added to the ticket fee too.”<\/p>\n Others shared past enjoyable experiences on Amtrak, including being able to rest without interruptions. Several shared that the price would ultimately be worth it for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Honestly, I fear with the horrible gas prices we have now trains may be more of a thing for everybody,” user @Al.Renroul wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Residents do spend a baffling amount of time stuck in traffic. A 2025 Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) study<\/a> found that the San Antonio I-35 stretch from Loop 1604 Northeast to Loop 410 recorded about 354,461 hours of delay per mile per year. Keep in mind that this stretch of road is just 4.97 miles long.<\/p>\n A major construction project is also underway across the interstate, leading to weekly shutdowns<\/a>. Many of the closures, part of the larger I-35 Northeast Expansion (NEX) plan, begin around 9 p.m. and last overnight. The initiative is a 20-mile, $3.5 billion project scheduled for completion in 2032.<\/p>\n Traffic isn’t only affecting how people travel but also where they choose to live. Local realtor John Fatheringham of the Neal & Neal Team at eXp Realty previously told MySA<\/a> that shorter commute times are becoming more important to the clients he meets.\u00a0<\/p>\n “For me, it really comes down to deciding what you\u2019re willing to trade,” Cunningham said. “Some people would rather have the newer house and more space and accept the commute. Others would gladly give up some of that to spend less time in the car.”<\/p>\n