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Fort Worth Central Station

Coordinates: 32°45′10″N 97°19′35″W / 32.7527°N 97.3264°W / 32.7527; -97.3264
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Fort Worth Central Station
TRE train arrives at Fort Worth Central Station
General information
Location1001 Jones Street
Fort Worth, Texas
United States
Coordinates32°45′10″N 97°19′35″W / 32.7527°N 97.3264°W / 32.7527; -97.3264
Owned byTrinity Metro
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks3
Train operatorsAmtrak, Trinity Metro, TRE, TEXRail
ConnectionsBus interchange Greyhound Bus Lines
Bus interchange Trinity Metro: 1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 12, 46, 61X (M-F), 63X (M-F), 65X (M-F), 89, Molly The Trolley, Orange Line
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: FTW
Fare zoneTRE West
History
OpenedJanuary 12, 2002 (2002-01-12)[1]
Passengers
FY 2023107,566[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Heartland Flyer Gainesville
toward Oklahoma City
Cleburne
toward Los Angeles or San Antonio
 Texas Eagle Dallas
toward Chicago
Preceding station Trinity Railway Express Following station
T&P Station
Terminus
 Trinity Railway Express Trinity Lakes
toward Dallas Union Station
Preceding station Trinity Metro Following station
T&P Station
Terminus
 TEXRail North Side
toward DFW Airport Terminal B
Proposed services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Crescent
Proposed Texas Section
 Dallas
toward New York
Location
Map

Fort Worth Central Station (Amtrak: FTW) is an intermodal transit center in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It serves two commuter rail lines (TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express), two (later three) Amtrak intercity rail lines (Texas Eagle, Heartland Flyer and proposed Crescent (train)), and Greyhound intercity bus. It also serves as the main transfer center for Trinity Metro, Fort Worth's public bus system.

It is located at the corner of 9th Street and Jones Street on the east side of Downtown Fort Worth. It is the busiest Amtrak station in Texas by ridership, with 107,566 passengers in FY 2023.[2]

Station

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Services

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Fort Worth Central Station with downtown skyline visible behind looking northwest
Aerial view of Fort Worth Central Station

The station has twenty bus bays and three rail tracks. TEXRail boards from Track 1 regardless of direction, while TRE boards from either Track 1 or 2. Amtrak trains board from Track 3. Greyhound buses board through a separate terminal on the opposite side of the building.

The station's interior contains restrooms, vending machines, a passenger service kiosk, and a Subway restaurant.[3]

Exhibits

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The station contains a set of five brick bas-reliefs depicting a former black-owned commercial district, which had existed at the station site from the Civil War to the 1940s. The reliefs were created by Denton-based artist Paula Blincoe Collins.[4]

A restored interurban car, previously used by the Northern Texas Traction Company, is also on display.[1]

History

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Prior to the station's opening, transit services operated without a unified hub in downtown Fort Worth. Local bus lines (then branded as The T) converged at a transit mall along Houston Street and Throckmorton Street, while Amtrak and Greyhound Lines serviced the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad Passenger Station on Jones Street.[5][6]

In the 1990s, city leaders planned to create a unified transportation hub with the goal of encouraging train and bus usage, which would reduce pollution and traffic congestion.[7] In 1991, the project received a $13.4 million federal grant due to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.[8] Original plans called for the historic Texas & Pacific Station to be renovated.[9] However, the city ultimately decided to build a new station at the corner of 9th and Jones named Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center (abbreviated Fort Worth-ITC). This new location was selected because it was closer to both the central business district and local attractions such as Sundance Square.[7]

On December 3, 2001, the Trinity Railway Express line (TRE) was extended from Richland Hills to T&P Station. TRE service included a stop at Fort Worth-ITC, though the station building was not completed until January 12, 2002.[1]

On June 30, 2006, Greyhound Bus Lines began service to the station.[10]

On January 10, 2019, TEXRail began service to the station.

On March 25, 2019, the Trinity Metro board of directors unanimously voted to rename Fort Worth-ITC to Fort Worth Central Station.[11] The TRE announcement system continues to use the original name.

In June 2023, Amtrak applied for funding for a new rail corridor between Fort Worth and Meridian, Mississippi. The corridor would follow the Interstate 20 right-of-way and would be used for a branch of Amtrak's Crescent train, which currently provides service between New York City and New Orleans.[12] Fort Worth Central would serve as the western terminus of the route.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Okada, Bryon (November 27, 2001). "Metroplex rail rolls Monday". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Knight Ridder. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
  2. ^ a b "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Texas" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "Fort Worth Central Station". Trinity Metro. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  4. ^ Goodrich, Terry Lee (February 4, 2001). "Lasting Impressions: Fort Worth exhibit to honor former black business district". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Knight Ridder. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
  5. ^ Roberts, John. "Ashton Depot". Architecture in Fort Worth. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "Texas, Tarrant County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Fort Worth, TX – Central Station (FTW)". The Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "2 area road projects to benefit from $151 billion highway bill". Austin American-Statesman. Cox Newspapers. December 18, 1991. pp. B2 – via NewsBank.
  9. ^ Floyd, Jacquielynn (October 4, 1993). "A Hub of Hopes: FW plan to resurrect rail station aims to spur downtown revival". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 17A – via NewsBank.
  10. ^ Dickson, Gordon (July 1, 2006). "At its new digs, Greyhound is in very good company". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company. pp. B3 – via NewsBank.
  11. ^ Dickson, Gordon (March 26, 2019). "Fort Worth has a great little TEXRail train station with an awful name – not anymore!". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 27, 2019. Closed access icon
  12. ^ "Amtrak Applies for Federal Grants to Improve Long Distance Network". Amtrak MediaCenter. June 5, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
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Media related to Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center at Wikimedia Commons

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