Purcell station

Railway station in Purcell, Oklahoma

35°00′43″N 97°21′26″W / 35.0120°N 97.3573°W / 35.0120; -97.3573Platforms1 side platformTracks1ConstructionAccessibleYesOther informationStation codeAmtrak: PURHistoryOpenedJune 15, 1999 (Heartland Flyer)^[1]ClosedOctober 8, 1979 (Lone Star)^[2]RebuiltJune 14, 2001^[3]PassengersFY 20231,436^[4] (Amtrak) Services

Preceding station	Amtrak			Following station
Pauls Valley toward Fort Worth		Heartland Flyer		Norman toward Oklahoma City

Former services

Preceding station	Amtrak		Following station
Pauls Valley toward Dallas or Houston		Lone Star	Norman toward Chicago
Preceding station	Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway		Following station
Noble toward Newton		Newton–Purcell	Terminus
Terminus		Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Main Line	Wayne toward Galveston
Kirfort toward Chickasha		Chickasha–Purcell	Terminus

Location

Purcell (Amtrak: PUR) is an Amtrak station in Purcell, Oklahoma. The station is serviced by Amtrak's daily Heartland Flyer, which travels from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Fort Worth, Texas.

History

Rail service to the area was established by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (now BNSF Railway) in 1887, which aimed to create a junction between the Santa Fe and its Texas-based Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe division. A townsite for railway employees was constructed around the junction and named after the Santa Fe's director, Edward B. Purcell.^[5]

A station house was built at the junction in 1904. At some point, that station was demolished and rebuilt. The rebuilt station was in service until 1979, when the Lone Star was discontinued, and it was demolished in the 1990s.^[5]

In 1999, the Heartland Flyer was established, which restored rail service to the city. The city constructed a brick station house for use as a waiting area, which opened on June 14, 2001. The interior contains Santa Fe memorabilia, including a bench from a former depot in Shawnee, Oklahoma.^[3]

References

^ "All Aboard! Amtrak Taking Reservations". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. June 9, 1999. p. 7. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lone Star Gone: Amtrak Routes Shrink". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. October 10, 1979. p. 10. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Sutter, Ellie (June 15, 2001). "Purcell Depot Gets Dedicated". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. p. 8. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Oklahoma" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Purcell, OK (PUR)". The Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved 18 November 2011.