Summary
Mineola station is a station in Mineola, Texas, United States, currently served by Amtrak's Texas Eagle. The station was originally built in 1906 by the Texas & Pacific Railway and also used by the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
Mineola, TX | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Mineola station in May 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 115 East Front Street Mineola, Texas United States | |||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°39′43″N 95°29′21″W / 32.66197°N 95.4891°W | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Mineola (station and parking lot) Union Pacific Railroad (track and platform) | |||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Union Pacific Railroad | |||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | |||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak: MIN | |||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1906 April 28, 1996[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Closed | April 30, 1971[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | June 10, 2006[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2022 | 4,859[3] (Amtrak) | |||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||
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History edit
The Missouri-Pacific Railroad built the station in 1906. In 1951, as "modernization", the hipped roof was removed and decoration stripped from the station, leaving a rectangular brick building.[2]
The Missouri-Pacific Railroad ended service on its Texas Eagle on April 30, 1971, one day before Amtrak took over passenger services. In March 1974, Amtrak's Inter-American was extended from Fort Worth to St. Louis, restoring passenger service to the Missouri-Pacific Railroad's main line but without a stop in Mineola.[1] The Inter-American was replaced by the Eagle in 1981, which in turn was renamed as the Texas Eagle in 1988.[1]
On April 14, 1996, Newport station in Arkansas was closed as part of a deal with the Union Pacific Railroad to reopen the stop at Mineola. Trains began stopping at Mineola on April 28.[1] According to Mineola native Willie Brown, the station was reopened as the result of his persistent lobbying of President Bill Clinton. Responding to an Amtrak report that a survey did not reveal anyone wanting to get off in Mineola, Brown reportedly told Clinton: "The reason to stop in Mineola is not to let anybody off. It's to let the people on. It's not that great a place. Look at me! I left!"[4] Amtrak, however, credited "Mineola community leaders" with the successful effort.[5]
In 2005, the city began an $800,000 renovation project, funded primarily by the Texas Department of Transportation, to restore the station to its original appearance. A new angled roof was constructed, signage and landscaping built, and the interior converted for use as a railway museum. The station was rededicated on June 10, 2006.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "TEXAS EAGLE ROUTE - HISTORICAL TIMELINE". Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "Mineola, Texas (MIN)". Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Texas" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ Brown, Willie (2008). Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times. Simon and Schuster. p. 255. ISBN 9781416539766 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Texas 'Railroad Town' Completes Restoration of Historic Depot" (Press release). Amtrak. June 8, 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2007.
External links edit
Media related to Mineola station (Texas) at Wikimedia Commons
- Mineola, TX – Amtrak
- Mineola, TX – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
- Mineola, TX – Texas Eagle (Amtrak) Archived 2016-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Mineola Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)