Sunset Limited

This article is about the passenger train. For the Cormac McCarthy play, see The Sunset Limited (play). For the film based on the play, see The Sunset Limited (film).

Sunset Limited

The Sunset Limited near Vail, Arizona, in 2025
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Southwestern United States
First service	1894 (1894)
Current operator	Amtrak
Former operator	Southern Pacific (1894–1971)
Annual ridership	91,493 (FY 25)  18.9%
Route
Termini	Los Angeles, California New Orleans, Louisiana
Stops	20
Distance travelled	1,995 mi (3,211 km)
Average journey time	45 hours, 40 minutes (eastbound) 46 hours, 35 minutes (westbound)
Service frequency	Three round trips per week
Train numbers	1 (westbound) 2 (eastbound)
On-board services
Classes	Coach Class First Class Sleeper Service
Disabled access	Train lower level, all stations
Sleeping arrangements	Roomette (2 beds) Bedroom (2 beds) Bedroom Suite (4 beds) Accessible Bedroom (2 beds) Family Bedroom (4 beds)
Catering facilities	Dining car, Café
Observation facilities	Sightseer lounge car
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	GE Genesis or Siemens Charger ALC-42 locomotives Superliner passenger cars
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	44 mph (71 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owners	UP, BNSF
Route map 3040 km Service suspended to Orlando 3040 km Service suspended to Orlando Silver Service to Miami Orlando Winter Park Sanford DeLand Palatka Jacksonville Silver Service to New York Lake City Madison Tallahassee Eastern Time Central Time Chipley Crestview Pensacola FL AL Perdido River Atmore Service suspended to Orlando Mobile AL MS Pascagoula Biloxi Gulfport Bay St. Louis MS LA Pearl River Mardi Gras Service to Mobile Crescent to New York City City of New Orleans to Chicago 0 mi New Orleans Huey P. Long Bridge over Mississippi River 56 mi 90 km Schriever 126 mi 203 km New Iberia 145 mi 233 km Lafayette 219 mi 352 km Lake Charles LA TX Sabine River 279 mi 449 km Beaumont 363 mi 584 km Houston Texas Eagle to Chicago 574 mi 924 km San Antonio 744 mi 1197 km Del Rio 870 mi 1400 km Sanderson 961 mi 1547 km Alpine Central Time Mountain Time 1183 mi 1904 km El Paso TX NM Rio Grande 1271 mi 2045 km Deming 1331 mi 2142 km Lordsburg NM AZ Mountain Time Arizona Time 1446 mi 2327 km Benson 1493 mi 2403 km Tucson 4321 mi 6954 km Pre-1996 route via Phoenix 4321 mi 6954 km Pre-1996 route via Phoenix Coolidge Tempe Phoenix 1579 mi 2541 km Maricopa 1744 mi 2807 km Yuma AZ CA Arizona Time Pacific Time Indio Closed 1998 1894 mi 3048 km Palm Springs Southwest Chief to Chicago 1957 mi 3149 km Ontario 1963 mi 3159 km Pomona Alhambra Closed 1975 Coast Starlight to Seattle Pacific Surfliner 1995 mi 3211 km Los Angeles

The Sunset Limited is a long-distance passenger train run by Amtrak, operating on a 1,995-mile (3,211 km) route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Major stops include Houston, San Antonio and El Paso in Texas, as well as Tucson, Arizona. Opening in 1894 through the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Sunset Limited is the oldest continuously operating named train in the United States.

With three round-trip journeys per week, the Sunset Limited is tied with the Cardinal for the lowest frequency of any regularly scheduled Amtrak route. Each end-to-end journey takes about two days. West of San Antonio, the train runs combined with the Texas Eagle.

From 1993 to 2005, the Sunset Limited operated an extended service to Florida, terminating in Miami from 1993 to 1996 and in Orlando for most of 1996 through 2005, and becoming Amtrak's longest and only coast-to-coast train route. Major stops between New Orleans and Miami included Mobile (Alabama), Tallahassee, Jacksonville, and Orlando (Florida). However, the route east of New Orleans was permanently halted in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There have been attempts to re-extend the service back to Florida but have stalled mainly due to administrative and political obstacles. Amtrak restored service from New Orleans to Mobile in the form of the Mardi Gras Service in August 2025.