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Amtrak 's ''Sunset Limited'' is a 2764-mile (4448 km) Passenger Train route that connects Orlando, Florida , to Los Angeles, California . The service is operated three days a week. Currently, most of the route is operated at 70 mph (110 km/h), though stops and delays are common. Railfan s have pointed out that the ''Sunset Limited'' is behind schedule almost 100% of the time. This is said to be due to extensive sharing of congested Union Pacific Railroad lines with freight. A delay of about 6 to 12 hours is common. Since August 28 , 2005 , the ''Sunset Limited'' route was truncated at San Antonio, Texas , as a result of damage to trackage in the Gulf Coast area caused by Hurricane Katrina . In late October 2005, limited service has been restored between San Antonio and New Orleans as the line has been repaired through southwest Louisiana . No service is available east of that point, and will not be for quite some time (possibly several years) unless Amtrak decides to reroute the train. Much of the train's route through Mississippi has been completely destroyed, including at least two major bridges. On days when the ''Sunset Limited'' runs, it picks up cars of the '' Texas Eagle '' at San Antonio, Texas , carrying them to Los Angeles. Due to the hurricane, it is actually the ''Texas Eagle'' that continues to Los Angeles while limited service is; no cars are added there. The San Antonio-New Orleans section is provided by a special train which connects to the Texas Eagle. {Link without Title} The ''Sunset Limited'' was the first Transcontinental passenger route across the U.S. operated by a single company, though many routes have run between the Pacific Ocean and Gulf Of Mexico . The tracks used were once part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , Seaboard Air Line Railroad , Louisville And Nashville Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad systems, and are now owned by CSX and the Union Pacific Railroad . The origin of the ''Sunset'' name comes from the Galveston, Harrisburg And San Antonio Railway , which was known as the ''Sunset Route'' as early as 1874 . The following lines are used:
HISTORY Prior to the start of Amtrak service on May 1 , 1971 , the Southern Pacific Railroad operated the ''Sunset Limited'' between Los Angeles, California , and New Orleans, Louisiana . The Louisville And Nashville Railroad and Seaboard Coast Line Railroad operated the '' Gulf Wind '' for passengers continuing east from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida . With the Amtrak takeover, the ''Sunset Limited'' was kept without changes, while the ''Gulf Wind'' was dropped. From New Orleans east to Jacksonville, the tracks remained unused by passenger trains, and maximum speeds had been lowered to reduce costs of freight service. The short-lived '' Gulf Coast Limited '' traveled the route from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama , only operating between April 29 , 1984 and January 6 , 1985 . East of Mobile, the '' Gulf Breeze '' began on October 27 , 1989 , running northeast at Flomaton, Alabama , toward Montgomery rather than south to Pensacola, Florida , to continue east. (The ''Gulf Breeze'' was discontinued in 1995 .) On April 4 , 1993 , the ''Sunset Limited'' was extended to Miami, Florida , via the old route to Jacksonville and the route of the '' Silver Meteor '' the rest of the way. The full route to Miami was short-lived, and it has since been cut back to Orlando . Less than half a year later, Amtrak's worst Train Wreck , the Big Bayou Conot Train Disaster , happened on the extension in Alabama on September 22 , 1993 . On October 9 , 1995 , saboteurs derailed the ''Sunset Limited'' at Gila Bend, Arizona , by removing 29 spikes holding a section of the track in place and short-circuiting a warning system. [http://www.cnn.com/US/9510/amtrak/] Eight of the 12 cars left the tracks, some rolling down an embankment. Michael Bates, a porter, was killed, and seventy-eight people were injured. The perpetrators have never been apprehended. [http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special21/articles/1009sabotage09.html] The ''Sunset Limited'' was rerouted to bypass Phoenix, Arizona , on June 2 , 1996 , due to the Union Pacific Railroad 's desire to abandon that line. STATION STOPS The ''Sunset Limited'' makes the following station stops: ; Florida
; Alabama
; Texas
; New Mexico
A highlight of the trip is the crossing of the Huey P. Long Bridge just west of New Orleans. The bridge is the longest railroad bridge in the United States , at 4.5 miles (7.2 km), and takes the train 135 ft (41 m) above the Mississippi River . EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES
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