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Texarkana (Amtrak station)
Encyclopedia
Texarkana Union Station or the Texarkana Amtrak station is a historic train station in Texarkana
, Arkansas
, United States
served by Amtrak
, the national railroad passenger system. Although the Arkansas-Texas border bisects the center of the structure, the current Amtrak waiting room and ticket office is located in a former Railway Express Agency
office on the Arkansas side of the structure. When Amtrak
's Texas Eagle
is stopped in Texarkana, the west end of the train is in Texas, and the east end of the train is in Arkansas. The station was built in 1928 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
.
Of the five Arkansas stations served by Amtrak, Texarkana was the second busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 22 passengers daily.
, Texas & Pacific
, Cotton Belt
and Kansas City Southern
railroads. E.M. Tucker, chief architect for Missouri Pacific, designed the building with a track layout and overhead concourse reminiscent of the style he had used when rebuilding Little Rock Union Depot
after a 1921 fire.
The present structure replaced an earlier Texarkana station on the same site, and was opened for business on April 17, 1930. The station and the federal courthouse anchor the south and north ends of State Line Avenue, the dividing line between Arkansas and Texas. In 1876, Congress mandated that the Texarkana railroad station would straddle the state line, and the building has entrances and exits into both states. Missouri Pacific and Texas and Pacific, the two carriers with the most passenger trains serving Texarkana Union Station, were able to operate through the facility without a backup move. Kansas City Southern and Cotton Belt passenger trains both made back-up moves to access the station.
Provisions were made in the original station design for a restaurant, but as a result of the Great Depression
, the only food service was provided by a snack bar and news stand.
The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
During the heyday of private railroad passenger train service, Texarkana served as a major distribution point for mail and express, and a large Terminal Railway Post Office
was located in and adjacent to the station. In addition, express cars originating at such distant points as New York City
were routed to Texarkana, where the shipments were sorted for transportation in different trains to their final destination.
Texarkana, Arkansas
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,448 people, 10,384 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5 people per square mile . There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1 per square mile...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
served by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the national railroad passenger system. Although the Arkansas-Texas border bisects the center of the structure, the current Amtrak waiting room and ticket office is located in a former Railway Express Agency
Railway Express Agency
The Railway Express Agency was a the national monopoly set up by the Untied States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure much as UPS functions today using the road system...
office on the Arkansas side of the structure. When Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Texas Eagle
Texas Eagle
The Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
is stopped in Texarkana, the west end of the train is in Texas, and the east end of the train is in Arkansas. The station was built in 1928 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Of the five Arkansas stations served by Amtrak, Texarkana was the second busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 22 passengers daily.
History
Texarkana Union Station was constructed and operated by Union Station Trust, a subsidiary organization created as a joint effort between the Missouri-PacificMissouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
, Texas & Pacific
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
, Cotton Belt
St. Louis Southwestern Railway
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern...
and Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
railroads. E.M. Tucker, chief architect for Missouri Pacific, designed the building with a track layout and overhead concourse reminiscent of the style he had used when rebuilding Little Rock Union Depot
Little Rock (Amtrak station)
The Little Rock Amtrak station is a train station in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system....
after a 1921 fire.
The present structure replaced an earlier Texarkana station on the same site, and was opened for business on April 17, 1930. The station and the federal courthouse anchor the south and north ends of State Line Avenue, the dividing line between Arkansas and Texas. In 1876, Congress mandated that the Texarkana railroad station would straddle the state line, and the building has entrances and exits into both states. Missouri Pacific and Texas and Pacific, the two carriers with the most passenger trains serving Texarkana Union Station, were able to operate through the facility without a backup move. Kansas City Southern and Cotton Belt passenger trains both made back-up moves to access the station.
Provisions were made in the original station design for a restaurant, but as a result of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the only food service was provided by a snack bar and news stand.
The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Name trains serving Texarkana Union Station
- Missouri Pacific RailroadMissouri Pacific RailroadThe Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
and Texas and Pacific RailwayTexas and Pacific RailwayThe Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
- Sunshine SpecialSunshine SpecialThe Sunshine Special was inaugurated by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad on December 5, 1915, to provide a premium level of passenger train service between St. Louis, Little Rock, and destinations in Texas...
- Texas EagleTexas Eagle (MP train)The Texas Eagle was a named passenger train operated by the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the Texas and Pacific Railway between St. Louis, Missouri and multiple destinations in the state of Texas. The train began on August 15, 1948, with the renaming of the Sunshine Special. For thirteen years,...
- Texan
- Westerner
- Sunshine Special
- Kansas City Southern
- Flying Crow
- Southern BelleSouthern Belle (KCS)The Southern Belle was a named passenger train service offered by Kansas City Southern Railway from the 1940s through the 1960s, running between Kansas City, Missouri and New Orleans, Louisiana.The service was inaugurated on September 2, 1940...
- Cotton BeltSt. Louis Southwestern RailwayThe St. Louis Southwestern Railway , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern...
- Lone StarLone Star (SSW passenger train)The Lone Star was a passenger train operated by St. Louis Southwestern Railway between Memphis, and Dallas, with through connections via Cotton Belt parent, Southern Pacific, for San Antonio, El Paso, and ultimately Los Angeles. there was also through cars operating between Memphis, Lewisville and...
- Morning Star
- Lone Star
- AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
- Inter-American
- Texas EagleTexas EagleThe Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
(originally Eagle; only one currently in service)
Mail and express service
Terminal Railway Post Office
Terminal railway post offices were sorting facilities which were established by the Railway Mail Service to speed the distribution of parcel post. These offices were usually located in or near railroad stations in major cities or junction points...
was located in and adjacent to the station. In addition, express cars originating at such distant points as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
were routed to Texarkana, where the shipments were sorted for transportation in different trains to their final destination.