Fort Worth Central Station

Station

Services

The station's interior contains restrooms, vending machines, a passenger service kiosk, and a Subway restaurant.

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.

A restored interurban car, previously used by the Northern Texas Traction Company, is also on display.

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.

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. In 1991, the project received a $13.4 million federal grant due to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. Original plans called for the historic Texas & Pacific Station to be renovated. 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.

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.

On June 30, 2006, Greyhound Bus Lines began service to the station.

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. 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. Fort Worth Central would serve as the western terminus of the route.

References

References

1. Okada, Bryon. (2001-11-27). "Metroplex rail rolls Monday". [[Knight Ridder]].
2. "Fort Worth Central Station".
3. Goodrich, Terry Lee. (2001-02-04). "Lasting Impressions: Fort Worth exhibit to honor former black business district". [[Knight Ridder]].
4. Roberts, John. "Ashton Depot".
5. "Texas, Tarrant County".
6. "Fort Worth, TX – Central Station (FTW)". [[Amtrak]].
7. (1991-12-18). "2 area road projects to benefit from $151 billion highway bill". [[Cox Media Group.
8. Floyd, Jacquielynn. (1993-10-04). "A Hub of Hopes: FW plan to resurrect rail station aims to spur downtown revival". [[Belo Corporation.
9. Dickson, Gordon. (2006-07-01). "At its new digs, Greyhound is in very good company". [[The McClatchy Company]].
10. Dickson, Gordon. (2019-03-26). "Fort Worth has a great little TEXRail train station with an awful name – not anymore!". [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]].
11. (2023-06-05). "Amtrak Applies for Federal Grants to Improve Long Distance Network".