Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization
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ACHIEVEMENTS
Texas Eagle web site
Reasons to Ride
Texas Eagle podcast
Texas Eagle local revenue management
Worked to assist the City of Hope, Arkansas, in their development of a new Amtrak stop. Hope was officially designated as a "future" stop and listed in Amtrak timetables in 2009. Amtrak President Joseph Boardman met with Hope's TEMPO representatives during a Chicago TEMPO meeting; Boardman later followed up with a visit to Hope, Arkansas to help push the project. Following platform design and construction, Texas Eagle service to Hope began on April 4, 2013, with a grand opening celebration following on May 18, 2013. At Hope, President Boardman experienced the great enthusiasm of small-town America for Amtrak service, and this experience helped guide his later historic support for the Southwest Chief when he experienced similar enthusiasm for Amtrak from cities along that route.
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MISSION STATEMENT
To promote and improve Amtrak passenger train service along the route of the Texas Eagle, with particular emphasis on service in Texas and Arkansas. To make communities aware of Amtrak service, and aware of the economic benefits of passenger train service. To encourage tourism development along the route by increasing the utilization of the Texas Eagle. To work for continuous improvement of the product received by the passenger, by providing input to Amtrak on issues related to both service and train operation.
TEMPO was created by Amtrak at the request of the Texas Eagle Mayors'
Coalition, to establish a mechanism for local input to Amtrak on issues
affecting the Eagle. Marshall,
Texas was selected as the site for the initial meeting, on September
15, 1997. Meetings are scheduled quarterly, with the
location rotated among cities served by the Texas Eagle in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and
Illinois.
TEMPO members include
representatives and elected officials from cities along the route, rail
advocacy groups in Texas and Arkansas, Amtrak's Marketing Department,
and employees (both management and union) responsible for operation of
the Texas Eagle. Each member promotes the Texas Eagle in
his or her own community, while working to increase awareness of the
train among civic leaders and elected officials.
TEMPO was originally formed to
supplement and assist with Amtrak's "Grass Roots" marketing campaigns,
and this activity remains a very important part of the group's focus.
On-board service, timekeeping,
scheduling, condition of stations, and many other "internal marketing"
issues also affect ridership, so TEMPO now offers input to Amtrak on a
variety of concerns, in addition to more traditional marketing efforts.
We invite participation from business and civic leaders and elected officials of communities along the route of the Texas Eagle.
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ONGOING PROJECTS
Support for the implementation of "emerging high speed" rail service (90-110mph) in the South Central High Speed Rail corridor, initially designated by the Federal Railroad Administration in 2001. Improved and expanded infrastructure along the existing Texas Eagle route will speed train operations and allow additional frequencies to be added on the most heavily traveled segments of the route. TEMPO strongly supports efforts by the Ark-La-Tex-Corridor-Council to bring expanded passenger rail service to the Texas Eagle route from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex to Shreveport, and from the metroplex to Texarkana, Little Rock and Memphis. TEMPO also supports similar efforts by various groups to implement additional passenger rail service along the Austin-San Antonio corridor to provide an alternative to congested and dangerous Interstate 35. All routes achieve maximum utilization when they are part of an interconnected network allowing passengers to conveniently connect between routes. The Texas Eagle is the only national-network route which does not allow same day connections with all important routes in Chicago. TEMPO will continue to promote the implementation of a Texas Eagle schedule which overcomes this inconvenience and unnecessary handicap to ridership growth.
MEETING LOCATIONS
TEMPO meetings are held in cities along the route of the Texas Eagle. At these meetings, renewed contacts are made with local civic leaders and elected officials to explain TEMPO's goals, and to learn about tourism and transportation issues of the city being visited. By becoming better informed about Texas Eagle cities, TEMPO members can more effectively promote tourism along the route.
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