Little Rock (Amtrak station)

Little Rock
Location 1400 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Owned by Bailey Properties, LLC
Line(s)
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 3
Construction
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code LRK
History
Opened 1921
Rebuilt 1992
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 22,351[1] Decrease 7%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Texas Eagle
toward Chicago
MoPac Station
Location Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Coordinates 34°45′2″N 92°17′13″W / 34.75056°N 92.28694°WCoordinates: 34°45′2″N 92°17′13″W / 34.75056°N 92.28694°W
Built 1911
Architect Missouri Pacific Railroad; E.M. Tucker
Architectural style No Style Listed
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 77000270[2]
Added to NRHP June 17, 1977

The Little Rock Amtrak station (a.k.a. Little Rock Union Station) is a train station in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system.

The present Little Rock station was opened August 1, 1921, having been constructed by Missouri Pacific Railroad after a fire destroyed the prior station on April 7, 1920. The present structure utilized existing foundation, some exterior walls and the clock tower of the previous station, components which had survived the fire. The station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "MoPac Station".[2]

Although known as Union Station, this particular structure was used by only a single railroad, Missouri Pacific. Prior structures on this site were served by two additional railroads, Memphis & Little Rock (1874-1893) and Cotton Belt (ca. 1892-1910). The present (1921) structure was predated by a large wooden structure erected in 1874, and a brick station opened in 1909 and which burned in 1920.

The main entrance to Union Station was located on the Markham Street level, and waiting rooms, ticket office and a restaurant were located on this level. The upper two floors housed the railroad's train dispatchers and offices of the freight and passenger departments, American Refrigerator Transit, and the Pullman Company. The basement (track level) held extensive mail and Railway Express facilities, a baggage room, and a small dining car commissary. Passenger access to the tracks was via an open air midway extending from the north side of the building, with stairways and three umbrella sheds extending in each direction at track level. This midway structure was original to the 1908 station, having survived the 1920 fire. Missouri Pacific passenger service to Little Rock ended just after midnight on May 1, 1971. The remaining umbrella sheds and midway were dismantled in October 1973, less than six months before Amtrak began a new passenger route through Little Rock. Amtrak continued to use the original waiting room and ticket office area until July 1992, when the waiting area and ticket offices were relocated to a newly renovated area of the station located at track level.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of Arkansas" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.

External links

Media related to Little Rock (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons