Reno station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reno, NV
Station house, 2014
Location	280 Commercial Row Reno, Nevada United States
Owned by	Structure: City of Reno Trackage: Union Pacific Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Below grade
Parking	None
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: RNO
History
Opened	1868
Rebuilt	1926 2007
Traffic
Passengers (FY2019)	75,397 (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Truckee toward Emeryville California Zephyr Winnemucca toward Chicago Sparks closed in 2009 toward Chicago
Former services Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Verdi toward Oakland Pier Overland Route Sparks toward Ogden Preceding station Virginia and Truckee Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line Andersons toward Virginia City
Reno Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Nevada Show map of Nevada Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	280 Commercial Row Reno, Nevada
Built	1926
Architect	Ryberg-Sorensen Southern Pacific RR
Architectural style	Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP reference No.	12000929
Added to NRHP	November 12, 2012

The Reno station is a busy train station in Reno, Nevada. It is served by Amtrak, a national passenger train system. The station is a stop for the famous California Zephyr train. This train travels all the way from Chicago to Emeryville, California.

You can also catch special Amtrak buses here. These buses connect the station to places like Sacramento.

What is the Reno Train Station Like?

The back of the depot with an escalator to the tracks below

The Reno station is located right in downtown Reno. Its address is 280 North Center Street. The train tracks that run through the station are owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. However, the station building itself and the platform where you wait for trains belong to the city of Reno.

One cool thing about this station is that the tracks are actually below ground level. This means the trains pass through a kind of trench in the middle of the city. This helps keep traffic moving smoothly above ground.

How Many People Use the Station?

The California Zephyr train stops at Reno once a day in each direction. In 2013, about 78,827 passengers used the station. That's around 216 people every single day! Many people travel between Northern California and Reno using this station.

Connecting Bus Services

Besides the train, the station offers Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach services. These are special buses that connect to the train network. There are three bus routes that link Reno station to Sacramento. Some buses start right at the station. Others start nearby at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks.

A Look Back: History of the Station

An old newspaper ad from 1869

A train station has been in this spot since 1868. That's when the very first Transcontinental Railroad reached Reno! The first few stations were made of wood and unfortunately burned down.

The building you see today was built in 1926. It was constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. Another railroad, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, also used this station until 1950. That's when their train service stopped running.

The Big ReTRAC Project

In 2007, the station got a major upgrade as part of the Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor (ReTRAC) project. This project was a huge effort to put the train tracks below ground. It helped to get rid of trains running on city streets in downtown Reno.

During the digging for the ReTRAC project, workers found many cool old things! They discovered a long-lost pedestrian tunnel and a secret basement from an old building. Some of these items are now on display inside the station. You can see things like an old water tank used by the fire department. There's also a fountain for horses, Native American artifacts, and old bottles from the 1860s.

As part of this big renovation, Amtrak moved most of its operations. They now use a new glass-enclosed area near the underground tracks. But don't worry, you can still use the original waiting room too!

On December 4, 2012, the station was given a special honor. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building!