Santa Fe Depot, also known as the Santa Fe Transit Hub, is a historic train station located in downtown

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Heartland Flyer The ''Heartland Flyer'' is a daily passenger train that follows a route between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas. It is operated by Amtrak and jointly funded by the states of Oklahoma and Texas. The train's daily round-trip begins ...

'' makes daily round-trip service from Oklahoma City to

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

. The station is the designated Intermodal Transit Hub for the region and as of 2016 is under renovation to accommodate this enhanced use.

History

The station was built in 1934 by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...

. It is an Art Deco structure located in downtown Oklahoma City at 100 South E.K. Gaylord Boulevard. It was served by the Santa Fe Railway's '' Texas Chief'' line, which later became the '' Lone Star'' under Amtrak. The station was also served by the Santa Fe's ''

Kansas Cityan The ''Chicagoan'' and ''Kansas Cityan'' were a pair of American named passenger trains operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. They ran from Chicago, Illinois to Wichita, Kansas, with a later extension to Oklahoma City. History ...

''/''

Chicagoan Chicago's demographics show that it is a large and ethnically diverse metropolis. It is the third largest city and metropolitan area in the United States by population, and the city was home to over 2.7 million people in 2020, accounting for over ...

.'' Amtrak discontinued the service in 1979 when it terminated the '' Lone Star.'' Subsequently, the station was vacant for 20 years and began to deteriorate. Other stations in Oklahoma City were the Union Station on SW 7th Street, which served the

St. Louis–San Francisco Railway The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , commonly known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated of road on of track, not includi ...

(Frisco Railway) and the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

(Rock Island Railroad); and the Missouri Kansas Texas Station on East Reno Street, which served the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. In 1998, Jim Brewer, a developer responsible for creating the nearby Bricktown entertainment district, purchased the station from Santa Fe Railway and oversaw a renovation using $2 million funds provided through the

Oklahoma Department of Transportation The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is an government agency, agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction and maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Sec ...

(ODOT) to make it

accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

to people with disabilities and usable as a train station. In 1998, Amtrak and the state reached an informal agreement with Brewer Entertainment to use the station rent-free as the northern terminus of the new ''Heartland Flyer'' line, connecting to

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

. The agreement required the state to pay for utilities and other costs associated with station operations. Service began in 1999, reconnecting Oklahoma to the national rail network. Another $3.1 million renovation was completed in 2007, and additional accessibility features were added with a $30,000 project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. No official lease had been drawn up until at least 2010, when Brent Brewer locked the doors of the depot on September 27 and 29, forcing new negotiations with ODOT. On December 21, 2010, it was announced that the ODOT had signed a lease of the station and parking lot for 25 months, with the option to extend the lease for up to ten years. The station was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2015.

Oklahoma City Streetcar The Oklahoma City Streetcar (OKC Streetcar), also known as the MAPS 3 streetcar, is a streetcar system in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, that opened in 2018. The system serves the greater downtown Oklahoma City area using modern, low-fl ...

service commenced at the station with that system's opening on December 14, 2018.

Station services

* Station Hours (daily 08:00-10:00 am, 9:40-11:40 pm) * Enclosed Waiting Area * Restrooms during station hours * ATM

Function

The City of Oklahoma City has designated the Santa Fe station as the location for intermodal transit services for the city and metropolitan area. The station will continue to serve as the primary Amtrak station for the region, but other services will be offered including

, EMBARK commuter bus, future commuter rail to the suburbs of Midwest City, Del City, Edmond, Moore, and Norman, along with proposed

Eastern Flyer The ''Eastern Flyer'' was a proposed medium distance inter-city train traveling between Oklahoma City in central Oklahoma and Tulsa in north-eastern Oklahoma. It was originally planned to be a private operation by the Iowa Pacific Railroad, and i ...

passenger rail (to Tulsa), possible high-speed rail, potential light rail, parking, and the possible return of inter-city bus lines. In 2015, the Santa Fe Intermodal hub was under refurbishment for the first phase of operations. Funding was made as part of the city's Metropolitan Area Projects MAPS and a

TIGER The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

grant from the United States Department of Transportation.

References

External links

PassengerRailOk.orgHeartland Flyer
{{NRHP in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Amtrak stations in Oklahoma Transit centers in the United States

Buildings and structures in Oklahoma City Transportation in Oklahoma City Economy of Oklahoma City Railway stations in Oklahoma Railway stations in the United States opened in 1934 Art Deco architecture in Oklahoma Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma City