Houston Station

I am in the process of moving from OKC to HOS. While down securing housing we decided to stop by the train station to see what our new Amtrak home looks like. The inside of the station was pretty typical for the age of the building but I was surprised at the large wooden benches and the walls are almost entirely covered with TX railroad memorabilia.

I asked the ticket agent about the parking policy. He said it is free and no registration needed but he would not recommend it as there is no security. Another staff member came out into the waiting room and announced he was going to go around the room and start collecting tickets for the SL bound for LAX. He was talking a with a local police officer and told him he was glad he was there as they had been having some unwanted loiterers lately.

We made our way outside to the platform and there were several more police officers with a couple large black SUVs. We didn't stick around for the trains arrival so I didn't see if they were just providing security or were there to search passengers similar to what goes on in Reno.

There was some construction going on. It looked like the track nearest the station had been paved over with asphalt at one time and was now being unearthed so it could be placed back into service. Anyone have any more information on the project?

Overall I think it is going to be a huge upgrade in service for us. With the daily bus service to catch the TE up to STL & CHI and being just a few stops away from NOL will be great. I also attend a yearly conference in SAN and it will be nice to not be in the TE section tacked on the rear of the SL for that long haul to LAX.

Pity the service isn't daily. Glad to hear someone finds it useful anyway!

I've never had any problem there, either while "Stopping By" with the little one to see the train, or leaving the car there for weeks at a time while on a trip.

The station under the cloverleaf.

HOS was my first Amtrak experience. I'm glad there are stations like LAUS to counterbalance the "bad bus station" ambience of HOS.

I, too, have parked a car there for more than two weeks without incident. But it really is in a very dodgy part of town.

Re the "under asphalt" tracks: While I haven't heard it from the horse's mouth, it looks to me that what they are doing is a ties and ballast upgrade of track #1, which has been sitting under that asphalt apron for at least 55 years with no maintenance.

I am going to be living in Midtown just 2 miles from the station so we will probably just use Uber anytime we want to head out on the train. No need to leave a car there if we don't have to.

I agree daily service would be great on the SL. We will have to be a bit more flexible with our trips to NOL and the days we choose to travel.

Are there any local rail advocacy groups? I am a map maker by trade and donated my time and skills to RailPAC and OK Passenger Rail while living in Vegas and OKC.

Here is that track back in 1977. That is me in the middle.

I'm not sure just where you'll live in Houston but the Light Rail that runs up and down Main Street is expanding and IINM it will run close to where the Amtrak Station is located under the Spaghetti Highway Cloverleaf????

The old Railroad stuff on the station walls is worth a look but the station itself is like a Bus Station, uncomfortable to wait long! Look for the Creative Charter PVs across from the Station if they're not on a trip and also the old sheds over the platforms were torn down but from pictures posted here it looks like they were updated with new roofs!

dart330 said:

I am going to be living in Midtown just 2 miles from the station so we will probably just use Uber anytime we want to head out on the train. No need to leave a car there if we don't have to.

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Last I heard we don't have Uber here... Taxi Mafia shut them out.

Houston was a shock for me. I totally expected something much grander for a big city like Houston. Maybe it was because a two days earlier I left from Los Angeles Union Station but totally was not expecting under the freeway. Here are some pictures I took in January during our stop just before lunch in the dining car.

P1000135 by seat38a, on Flickr

P1000146 by seat38a, on Flickr

P1000142 by seat38a, on Flickr

P1000134 by seat38a, on Flickr

Yep another Amshack.

Houston's grand old Union Station is now part of Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros).

The original SP Grand Central Station was sold to the post office in 1960 and torn down. That big post office building east of Amtrak is it. There are pics of the SP station in the waiting room. The platform that is in use today was the last track in the original station. After SP sold the station they only had the Sunset left running anyway so the built that little one room station The big wood benches came from the original SP station. The number one track is not generally used since the Lone Star was discontinued in the 1980. The circus train sometimes parks there. Security at the station is none existant unless HPD decides to patrol there. I would not long term park in that lot myself. When I take a train (or the Eagle bus) out of Houston I usually fly back so I park at Hobby airport and take the super shuttle to Amtrak. It only costs about $20. I usually have to help them find the Amtrak station.

Union Station, which is now the ball park, was never used by Amtrak or the SP. It was used by MP, SF, Burl and RI. Much of it's traffic was LD trains so they are all gone now. The MKT had it's own station by the M&M building under north Main. It has been torn down.

I have ridden the SL many times and it is a nice train with good service. I took the Eagle bus once and it works just fine. It's a short 4 hour ride to Longview with two stops.

Thanks for all the information everyone. I can confirm Houston does have Uber. We took the light rail to the zoo and are headed to the West Alabama Ice House via Uber. All the transportation has been pretty smooth.

Union Station WAS used by Amtrak in the early seventies. The Texas Chief (Lone Star) left and arrived there until it was moved to the current SP station after some track modified to allow it to join the Sunset. During this time Amtrak had employees at both stations.

rusty spike said:

Yep another Amshack.

Houston's grand old Union Station is now part of Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros).

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It's not an Amshack. It's an Espeeshack. It was built by the SP welll before Amtrak as HenryJ noted.

henryj said:

The original SP Grand Central Station was sold to the post office in 1960 and torn down. That big post office building east of Amtrak is it. There are pics of the SP station in the waiting room. The platform that is in use today was the last track in the original station. After SP sold the station they only had the Sunset left running anyway so the built that little one room station The big wood benches came from the original SP station. The number one track is not generally used since the Lone Star was discontinued in the 1980. The circus train sometimes parks there. Security at the station is none existant unless HPD decides to patrol there. I would not long term park in that lot myself. When I take a train (or the Eagle bus) out of Houston I usually fly back so I park at Hobby airport and take the super shuttle to Amtrak. It only costs about $20. I usually have to help them find the Amtrak station.

Union Station, which is now the ball park, was never used by Amtrak or the SP. It was used by MP, SF, Burl and RI. Much of it's traffic was LD trains so they are all gone now. The MKT had it's own station by the M&M building under north Main. It has been torn down.

I have ridden the SL many times and it is a nice train with good service. I took the Eagle bus once and it works just fine. It's a short 4 hour ride to Longview with two stops.

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So the Franklin St. Post Office was the location of the original station?

Yes, as was said its just next door to the current Station!

And Henry was wrong, Amtrak's Lone Star was moved to this station from Union Station (Minute Maid Park's location) in July of 1974! I rode the last Lone Star that left Union Station!

jimhudson said:

Yes, as was said its just next door to the current Station!

And Henry was wrong, Amtrak's Lone Star was moved to this station from Union Station (Minute Maid Park's location) in July of 1974! I rode the last Lone Star that left Union Station!

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Thanks Jim and Bedford. I was not aware that Amtrak had used both stations.

Are you sure about the 1960 date for the move out of the old SP station? I took the Sunset there in 1965 for a fraternity convention and remember something much nicer than the SP/ATK shack - but then time has a way of altering memories.

Not saying the Houston station is anything grand, but it is certainly not a shack. In fact, it is nicer and more comfortable than other stations I have been to.

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Palmland said:

Are you sure about the 1960 date for the move out of the old SP station? I took the Sunset there in 1965 for a fraternity convention and remember something much nicer than the SP/ATK shack - but then time has a way of altering memories.

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I'm pretty sure. I found an article in a 1982 Bulletin of the NRHS with information about the various stations in Houston, and used it to update the Wikipedia article for the Houston Amtrak Station.

Of course, if we're now in some unknown alternate reality...how do I find my way back to the one in which the Super Chief is still running?

jimhudson said:

I'm not sure just where you'll live in Houston but the Light Rail that runs up and down Main Street is expanding and IINM it will run close to where the Amtrak Station is located under the Spaghetti Highway Cloverleaf????

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Houston's Metrorail is already impressive now, and will be even more useful when all the lines presently under construction will be completed.

It's a great pity that the two further lines that were proposed are now in limbo politically, although I guess that the success of the present lines will speak for itself and the system will eventually grow further on the back of public support.

I'm not aware of any present or proposed line serving the Amtrak Station, but the location should be walkable from several downtown locations presently served so the situation is OK if not ideal.