The Texas Eagle arrives in Austin on its route from Chicago to LA. | Photo by Lars Plougmann via Wikimedia Commons
Train travel is booming. In the last year, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has served 34.5 million riders, and in 2024, Fort Worth’s station served 123,236. We’re curious to see how 2025 stats will compare.
The more sustainable, often scenic, and middle seat-less cousin to flying, train travel could play a part in your next vacation — here’s how to do it locally.
Meet the Texas Eagle
If you’re leaving from Fort Worth’s Central Station, you’ll most likely be riding the Texas Eagle:
WiFi | While there’s no free WiFi on the Texas Eagle, you can use your phone the entire ride. Pro tip: Outlets are more accessible in first or business class + sleeper cars.
Food + Drink | This train offers flexible dining (complimentary meals for private room travelers), cafe service (snacks and drinks for purchase), and traditional dining (chef-prepared meals for first class travelers).
Accommodations | The Texas Eagle features upper and lower level coach seats + various private roomettes and bedrooms.
Jeff Garnett has taken home the Merit Award and Studio Award for his designs.
Photos by AIA Fort Worth
Award
The Glen Rose-based architect Jeff Garnett has been awarded twice by the American Institute of Architects Fort Worth — first, for Elk Edge Retreat, a private ranch home. And second, for the Animal Sanctuary, a mental health and animal adoption center. (Fort Worth Business Press)
Shop
Maybe she’s born with it... maybe it’s Maybelline. The cosmetics and fragrance chain Ulta Beauty is moving into Montgomery Plaza. While we’re not sure where in the shopping center the store will go, we do know where you can visit a store today. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Travel
Calling local flavors. DFW Airport is seeking the “Best of Texas,” bids for 14 new shops and restaurants to be added across multiple terminals, as the airport expands. Submissions are open now through Monday, Feb. 2.
Ranked
Dickies Arena was ranked No. 4 on Billboard’s top venues with a 10,001-15,000 capacity. This year alone, the venue grossed $74.3 million, had 1+ million attendees, and hosted 118 shows. Check out the list of upcoming performances headed there next year.
Civic
Last week, the Fort Worth Police Department welcomed 16 new officers from eight states, including California, New York, and Florida. Follow WFAA’s Scoop Jefferson for more.
Sports
TCU football has hired its next offensive coordinator after Kendal Briles moved to South Carolina. The Horned Frogs have brought in UConn offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis. Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the TCU Horned Frogs with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Read
Staying behind on tech trends can be a career killer. The Code is a twice weekly newsletter with curated tech news, practical resources, and insights decoded. Join 100,000+ engineers who read The Code to stay ahead of the curve.*
The Buy
Add some fun and laughter to holiday gatherings with a few of our favorite card and board games. We love these five:
🎲 Put your drawing skills to the test in Telestrations — perfect for 4-8 players.
🎲 The award-winning game Flip 7 is self proclaimed “the greatest card game of all time.”
🎲 Shut the Box is an easy-to-play dice game for up to six players.
🎲 Perfect for parties, Ransom Notes will have your entire crew belly laughing.
🎲 Connect words with colors in an engaging game of Hues and Cues.
It’s always so sad seeing a popular restaurant announce that it’ll be closing. In one day, I counted at least four. Here are the ones I’ve spotted, as well as their final day (if applicable), in case you want to get in one last bite:
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