Houston to Dallas by Train vs Bus: Which to Pick

Houston has an Amtrak station, but it does not connect to Dallas or Austin by rail.

Houston to Dallas by train: what runs today

No passenger train runs between Houston and Dallas today. Amtrak's Texas Eagle stops in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio, but Houston is not one of its stops. Amtrak says it offers a connecting bus to Houston from the Texas Eagle and handles the booking. The page gives no schedule for that connection.

The train that does stop in Houston is the Sunset Limited. It serves Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans, and Amtrak states that three trains leave weekly in each direction. It does not stop in Dallas or Austin.

A high-speed line between Houston and Dallas has been planned for years. In September 2026, local news station KPRC reported that no track has been laid and no train exists, and that the federal money is gone. Do not plan a trip around it.

The right way to cross Texas depends on the road, not on the map.

There is one way to use rails for the Dallas side. Amtrak's timetable lists a daily bus between the Houston station and Longview, leaving Houston at 1:05 p.m. and arriving at 5:40 p.m. Longview is a Texas Eagle stop. The Eagle's times from Longview were not read for this guide, so check Amtrak before you count on that route.

Rail inside Houston: METRORail vs Amtrak

Houston has a local train system, METRORail, and a separate Amtrak station for trips out of town. Because no train runs from Houston to Dallas, there is no train travel time between them. METRORail has three lines. The Red Line runs about every 6 minutes on weekdays and every 12 minutes on weekends, according to METRO. The Green and Purple lines run every 12 minutes on weekdays and every 18 on weekends.

METRORail takes no cash, so tap a contactless card or buy a ticket at the platform. It will not take you to Dallas, Austin or San Antonio. For those trips you need Amtrak or a bus.

For a wider look at moving around the city, see getting around Houston.

Travel time: train vs bus vs car

The bus is faster than the train to San Antonio and New Orleans, and it is the main public option to Dallas and Austin. The times below come from Amtrak's timetable dated 27 October 2026 and from Greyhound's route pages, which list the fastest bus.

A car drives roughly the same road as the bus. No official page read for this guide gives a driving time, so the bus's 4 hours 10 minutes cannot be compared with a driving time. Use the 240 miles in the table and add time for traffic in Houston and Dallas, and treat the car as about equal to the bus, not as proven faster. The San Antonio train reaches its stop at 2:45 a.m., which is a poor fit for most plans.

Cost: train vs bus vs car

The bus is the cheapest public way between these cities, and its fares are published. Greyhound's pages show fares starting from about $35 to Dallas, $28 to Austin, $29 to San Antonio and $45 to New Orleans. A fare is the lowest price on the day the page was read, and it changes by date.

Amtrak's Sunset Limited fares are not on the pages read for this guide. Search your dates on the Amtrak site before you decide. A car has no ticket, but you pay for fuel, parking and any tolls, and no official source read for this guide gives those costs.

Pro Tip Check the last bus time before you plan a day trip, because Greyhound's last bus from Houston to Dallas leaves at 6:55 p.m.

Frequency: how often each one runs

Buses leave many times a day, while the Sunset Limited leaves three days a week. Greyhound lists 14 daily departures to Dallas, 7 to Austin, 9 to San Antonio and 8 to New Orleans. The first bus to Dallas leaves at 1:50 a.m. and the last at 6:55 p.m.

The Sunset Limited gives you one train on each of its three days, in each direction. If your trip falls on one of the other four days, there is no train. Amtrak's timetable lists the days, so check it before you pick a date. A car leaves whenever you do.

The Sunset Limited is the wrong choice if you must arrive on a set day or by a set hour. Its three-a-week schedule and its night times leave no room for a delay.

Arriving in Houston: the Amtrak station vs the bus stops

Trains and buses drop you at different places in Houston. The Amtrak station is at 902 Washington Avenue, Houston, TX 77002. Greyhound lists a Downtown Houston stop at 605 Gray Street and a main bus station at 7000 Harrisburg Boulevard. Check which stop your ticket names. No source read for this guide gives directions or a transit route to the Amtrak station, so look up your route from your hotel before you go.

Once you are in town, Discovery Green is an easy first stop. The park covers 12 acres and is free at 1500 McKinney Street in downtown Houston, open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to its own site.

If you came without a car, the downtown tunnel tour is a good use of a weekday afternoon. The tour lasts 2 hours, starts from €27 per person and meets at 914 Dallas Street. The listing shows a 4.9 rating from 263 reviews and a group size of up to 15. It is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, wheelchair users or babies under 1 year. The city's tunnels are normally open on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan it for a weekday.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 27 October 2026.

Space Center Houston is hard to reach without a car, and its visitor page gives no public transit or shuttle details. The Space City NASA bus and ticket bundle solves that for €72 per person. The tour meets at the Bank of America Tower, 800 Capitol Street, and takes 6.5 hours, with about 5 hours at the Space Center. Its rating is 4.7 from 48 reviews, and Astroville Tours & Houston Charter Transportation runs it. Food and tips are not included. The listing does not state a group size.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 27 October 2026.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for Houston in October 2026 found 93 listings, and 4 of them name round-trip transport or a bus to the Space Center in the title.

If you only want a first look, the Houston sightseeing tour runs 3 hours from €49 per person. It starts at the Toyota Center, 1510 Polk Street, with a small group of up to 13 people. Its rating is 4.9 from 15 reviews, so the sample is small. Fun Texas Tours runs it, the listing shows free cancellation, and the pages read do not list what is not included.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 27 October 2026.

Choosing between train, bus and car

Pick the bus or the car for Dallas and Austin, and weigh the Sunset Limited only for San Antonio and New Orleans. The table sums up each dimension.

Key Takeaway There is no train from Houston to Dallas or Austin, and the Sunset Limited leaves Houston only three days a week.