The Norman Depot serves a dual function in the Norman, Oklahoma

Norman, Oklahoma

Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...

, community. As a passenger rail station it is served by Amtrak's

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 Heartland Flyer

Heartland Flyer

The Heartland Flyer is a daily passenger train that follows a 206-mile route between Fort Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Amtrak serves as contractor, initially only for the State of Oklahoma, but now also to the State of Texas....

and as a community center it houses the Norman Performing Arts Studio, a non-profit arts association. The depot is located at milepost 401.8 of the BNSF Railway's

BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

 Red Rock subdivision.

Community volunteers from the Norman Performing Arts Studio and Passenger Rail Oklahoma serve as "depot hosts" meeting passengers departing on the morning train and those arriving in the evening. The depot is also available to rent as a meeting space.

Depot History

The depot was constructed in 1909 by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. Its grand opening occurred on November 18, 1909. It was originally served by trains of its builder, including the Texas Chief. After Amtrak's establishment in 1971, it was served by a train of the same name, renamed in 1974 to the Lone Star. Those trains served points as far away as Chicago, Illinois

Union Station (Chicago)

Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...

 and Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

. Service was discontinued on October 9, 1979, and no passenger train service was available until June 1999, when the Heartland Flyer

Heartland Flyer

The Heartland Flyer is a daily passenger train that follows a 206-mile route between Fort Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Amtrak serves as contractor, initially only for the State of Oklahoma, but now also to the State of Texas....

was instituted between Oklahoma City

Oklahoma city

Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...

 and Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

.

The architectural design of the depot is a modified Mission Santa Fe county seat standard plan.

Ridership

Of the five Oklahoma stations served by Amtrak, Norman was the second busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 40 passengers daily.

External links

• More Views of Norman Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)