FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ray Lang
312-655-2390
ATK-99-31
February 20, 1999

Amtrak Celebrates Grand Opening of San Antonio Station

CHICAGO -- Amtrak joined U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, San Antonio city officials, Via Metropolitan Transit officials and other state and local leaders today as they celebrated the grand opening of Amtrak's new passenger station at 224 Hoefgen Street.

The new station is located adjacent to Amtrak's former station in the popular St. Paul Square/Sunset Depot entertainment district.

The station's opening is the culmination of years of hard work by Amtrak, Via Metropolitan Transit and the City of San Antonio. It is a good example of the type of strategic partnership that Amtrak is developing to improve its service to the traveling public and leverage corporate investments. Funding for the $1,000,000 project came from Amtrak and Via Metropolitan Transit.

"This station is a result of the successful implementation of two of our key business strategies - maximizing public and private partnerships that allow each partner, including Amtrak, to build on their own strengths and benefit from the strengths of each other, coupled with a clear focus on delivering consistent, quality service to ensure that our customers return again and again," said Lee Bullock, President of Amtrak Intercity.

To help mark the occasion, several of Amtrak's popular Superliner passenger cars were on display outside the station. Included in the passenger car display were a coach, sleeper, Sightseer Lounge and a dining car.

San Antonio is served by Amtrak's Texas Eagle, and Sunset Limited. The Texas Eagle operates thrice weekly between Chicago and San Antonio and once a week between Chicago and Los Angeles. The Sunset Limited operates thrice weekly between Orlando, Fla., and Los Angeles via New Orleans and San Antonio.

Northbound, the Texas Eagle departs San Antonio at 8:00 a.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The southbound Texas Eagle arrives in San Antonio at 11:59 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays.

The eastbound Sunset Limited arrives in San Antonio at 3:21 a.m. and departs at 4:35 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The westbound Sunset Limited arrives in San Antonio at 4:45 a.m. and departs at 5:35 a.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Information, reservations and ticketing for rail service to San Antonio are available from Amtrak. Customers should visit the new San Antonio station, any other staffed Amtrak station, call 1-800-USA-RAIL or see an authorized Amtrak travel agent for details on the Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle or any other Amtrak service. Schedule and service information is also available at the Amtrak site on the World Wide Web at www.amtrak.com.

Amtrak Intercity operates passenger rail service throughout most of the United States, including most Amtrak long-distance services as well as short-distance trains along corridors serving the Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Milwaukee, Kansas City, St. Louis, Raleigh and Charlotte markets. Headquartered in Chicago, Amtrak Intercity operates more than 76 train daily in 40 states that generate in excess of $400 million annually. It employs nearly 6,400 people and is one of three Amtrak strategic business units.