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.

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
Owned byTrinity Metro
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks3
Train operatorsAmtrak, Trinity Metro, TRE, TEXRail
ConnectionsTrinity Metro
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: FTW
Fare zoneTRE West
History
OpenedJanuary 12, 2002 (2002-01-12)[1]
Passengers
FY 202293,181[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 Richland Hills
toward Dallas Union Station
Preceding station Trinity Metro Following station
T&P Station
Terminus
 TEXRail North Side
toward DFW Airport/Terminal B

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 93,181 passengers in FY 2022.[2]

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.[3]

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 the Houston Street and Throckmorton Street, while Amtrak and Greyhound Lines serviced the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad Passenger Station on Jones Street.[4][5]

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. Both the Santa Fe station and T&P Station were considered for this, but 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.[6]

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 proper was not completed until January 12, 2002.[1] Later that year, Amtrak service was moved from the Santa Fe station to Fort Worth-ITC.

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.[7] The TRE announcement system continues to use the original name.

References
  1. "Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center". Trinity Railway Express. Archived from the original on 2002-02-04.
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Texas" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. "Fort Worth Central Station". Trinity Metro. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  4. Roberts, John. "Ashton Depot". Architecture in Fort Worth. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  5. "Texas, Tarrant County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  6. "Fort Worth, TX – Central Station (FTW)". The Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  7. 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

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