Texarkana Union Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Texarkana Union Station
Texarkana station platform in February 2017 for Amtrak. The union station is on the right.
Location	100 East Front Street Texarkana, AR 71854
Owned by	Jeff Sandefur
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Texarkana Urban Transit District
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	TXA
History
Opened	1930
Traffic
Passengers (2019)	5214  14.98%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Marshall toward Los Angeles or San Antonio Texas Eagle Hope toward Chicago
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Marshall toward Laredo or Houston Inter-American Malvern toward Chicago Preceding station Missouri Pacific Railroad Following station Terminus Texarkana – St. Louis Homan toward St. Louis Preceding station St. Louis Southwestern Railway Following station Redwater toward Gatesville Main Line Genoa toward St. Louis
Texarkana Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Texarkana Union Station Location in Arkansas Show map of Arkansas Texarkana Union Station Location in Texas Show map of Texas Texarkana Union Station Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	State Line and Front St., Texarkana, Texas
Area	less than one acre
Built	1928 (1928)
Architect	E.M. Tucker, A.B. Butterworth
Architectural style	Renaissance
MPS	Historic Railroad Depots of Arkansas MPS
NRHP reference No.	78000611
Added to NRHP	November 19, 1978

The Texarkana Union Station is a cool old train station that serves Amtrak, the national passenger rail system in the United States. What makes it super special is that the border between Arkansas and Texas goes right through the middle of the building! This means the waiting room and ticket office are in Texarkana, Arkansas, but the western part is in Texarkana, Texas. So, when a train stops here, it's actually in two states at once! The station was built in 1928 and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This means it's an important historical building.

Station History

Texarkana Union Station was built and run by a group called Union Station Trust. This group was a joint effort by several big railroad companies. These included the Missouri-Pacific, Texas & Pacific, Cotton Belt, and Kansas City Southern railroads.

Who Designed the Station?

The main architect for the Missouri Pacific company, E. M. Tucker, designed the station. He used a similar style to what he had used when rebuilding the Little Rock Union Depot. That station had been damaged by a fire in 1921.

When Did It Open?

The current station building replaced an older one in the same spot. It officially opened for business on April 17, 1930. A big celebration and dedication event was held a few weeks later on May 12, 1930.

The State Line Story

The station is located right on State Line Avenue. This road is the exact dividing line between Arkansas and Texas. In 1876, the U.S. Congress decided that the Texarkana train station had to be built across the state line. Because of this, the building has entrances and exits that lead into both states!

The Missouri Pacific and Texas and Pacific railroads had the most passenger trains using the station. They could drive their trains straight through without needing to back up. However, trains from the Kansas City Southern and Cotton Belt lines had to back up to get into the station.

Food Services

When the station was first designed, there were plans for a full restaurant. But because of the Great Depression, which was a very tough economic time, they only had a small snack bar and a news stand instead.

Famous Trains That Stopped Here

Over the years, many famous trains used to stop at Texarkana Union Station. Here are some of the notable ones:

• Missouri Pacific Railroad and Texas and Pacific Railway
  • Sunshine Special
  • Texas Eagle
  • Texan
  • Westerner

• Kansas City Southern
  • Flying Crow
  • Southern Belle

• Cotton Belt
  • Lone Star
  • Morning Star

• Amtrak
  • Inter-American
  • Texas Eagle (This train is still running today!)

Images for kids

• 

  A special stamp used for mail sorted at the Texarkana, Arkansas, Terminal Railway Post Office in November 1924.

• 

  An old Amtrak sign at the side entrance of Texarkana Union Station in Arkansas.