Passenger Rail Service In Lubbock? It Could Have Happened
Have you ever wanted to take a train to Fort Worth? What about taking a train to Denver from Lubbock? For those who either love trains or who have never been on a train the idea might be pretty appealing. And about 23 years ago, there was actually a proposal for a passenger train that would have stopped 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.
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.
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.
So will Lubbock ever see passenger rail service? It isn't likely, at least anytime soon. But with the ports to plains corridor on its way, it may open up another round of discussion.