Fort Worth Central Station

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 Amtrak intercity rail lines (Texas Eagle and Heartland Flyer), 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 Template:Amtrak ridership passengers in Template:Amtrak ridership.Template:Amtrak ridership

Station

Services

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Exhibits

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

A restored interurban car, previously used by the Northern Texas Traction Company, is also on display.<ref name="Okada" />

History

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.<ref name="Ashton Depot">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="Great American Stations">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1991, the project received a $13.4 million federal grant due to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Original plans called for the historic Texas & Pacific Station to be renovated.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Great American Stations" />

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.<ref name="Okada" />

On June 30, 2006, Greyhound Bus Lines began service to the station.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Closed access</ref> The TRE announcement system continued to use the original name until the fall of 2024.

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fort Worth Central would serve as the western terminus of the route.

External links

• Amtrak - Texas Eagle Stations - Fort Worth, TX
• Fort Worth Amtrak Station - Train Web
• Trinity Railway Express - Stations
• Trinity Metro - Fort Worth Central Station