Texarkana Union Station is a historic train station in the Texarkana metropolitan area serving

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the United States' national passenger rail system. The Arkansas-Texas border bisects the structure; the eastern part, including the waiting room and ticket office, are in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. It is the twin city of Texarkana, Texas, located just acros ...

, but the western part is in

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin cities, twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2 ...

, meaning stopped trains span both states. The station was built in 1928 and was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1978. Today it is the second busiest Amtrak station in Arkansas.

History

Texarkana Union Station was constructed and operated by Union Station Trust, a subsidiary organization created as a joint effort between the Missouri-Pacific, 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, with a large celebration and dedication held on May 12, 1930, according to Missouri Pacific Lines Magazine, June 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 Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, 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. In April 2023, the Arkansas-side Board of Directors approved $200,000 toward purchasing and redeveloping the station.

Filming

In 1976, the station was used for multiple locations in Charles B. Pierce's movie, '' The Town That Dreaded Sundown''.

Named trains serving Texarkana Union Station

The following are notable cases of trains making stop in past years at Union Station: *

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as 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. In 1967, the railroad o ...

and Texas and Pacific Railway ** '' Sunshine Special'' ** '' Texas Eagle'' ** ''Texan'' ** ''Westerner'' * Kansas City Southern ** ''Flying Crow'' ** '' Southern Belle'' * Cotton Belt ** '' Lone Star'' ** '' Morning Star'' *

** '' Inter-American'' ** '' Texas Eagle'' (originally ''Eagle''; only one currently in service)

Mail and express service

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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

were routed to Texarkana, where the shipments were sorted for transportation in different trains to their final destination.

References

Citations

External links

Amtrak Texas Eagle Stations - Texarkana, AR

OAG Travel Information (Texarkana Union Station)Flickr Photo
{{National Register of Historic Places Amtrak stations in Arkansas Union stations in the United States Amtrak stations in Texas Transportation in Bowie County, Texas Transportation in Miller County, Arkansas Buildings and structures in Texarkana, Arkansas Railway Express Agency Former Kansas City Southern Railway stations Former Missouri Pacific Railroad stations Former St. Louis Southwestern Railway stations Former Texas and Pacific Railway stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1928 Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Bowie County, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Miller County, Arkansas Texarkana Buildings and structures in Bowie County, Texas Buildings and structures in Miller County, Arkansas