Norman (Amtrak station)

Norman Depot
Station statistics
Address	200 South Jones Avenue Norman, OK 73069
Coordinates	35°13′12″N 97°26′35″W / 35.2199°N 97.4431°W / 35.2199; -97.4431Coordinates: 35°13′12″N 97°26′35″W / 35.2199°N 97.4431°W / 35.2199; -97.4431
Lines	Heartland Flyer
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Parking	Free
Other information
Opened	1909
Rebuilt	2003
Accessible
Code	NOR
Owned by	City of Norman
Traffic
Passengers (2010)	14,119[1]  12%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Purcell toward Fort Worth Heartland Flyer Oklahoma City Terminus     Former services     Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Moore toward Newton Newton – Purcell Noble toward Purcell

The Norman Depot serves a dual function in the Norman, Oklahoma, community. As a passenger rail station it is served by Amtrak's Heartland Flyer and as a community center it houses the Norman Performing Arts Studio, a non-profit arts association.^[2] The depot is located at milepost 401.8 of the BNSF Railway's Red Rock subdivision.

Community volunteers from the Norman Performing Arts Studio and Passenger Rail Oklahoma^[3] 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 and Galveston, Texas. Service was discontinued on October 9, 1979, and no passenger train service was available until June 1999, when the Heartland Flyer was instituted between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas.

The architectural design of the depot is a modified Mission Santa Fe county seat standard plan.^[4]

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.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of Oklahoma" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/OKLAHOMA10.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
2. ^ "The Performing Arts Studio". http://thepas.org/. Retrieved 2007-10-30. 
3. ^ "Passenger Rail Oklahoma". http://www.passengerrailok.org. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 
4. ^ "Portraits of Historic Norman" (PDF). City of Norman Historic District Commission. 2001. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927035427/http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/planning/Revitalization/pdf_files/PortraitsOfHistoricNorman1.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-30. 
5. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of Oklahoma" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/OKLAHOMA10.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – Norman, OK
• More Views of Norman Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)