Walnut Ridge, AR (WNR)

109 Southwest Front Street
Walnut Ridge, AR 72476

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $227,489
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 2,617

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: City of Walnut Ridge
• Parking Lot Ownership: Union Pacific Railroad
• Platform Ownership: Union Pacific Railroad
• Track Ownership: Union Pacific Railroad

• Texas Eagle

Ismael Cuevas
Regional Contact
governmentaffairschi@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• City of Walnut Ridge
• Amtrak Texas Eagle

Walnut Ridge is located in the Ozarks region of Arkansas, home to many of the most beautiful lakes and streams in the country. The depot was built in 1908 by the Missouri Pacific Railroad and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992. Walnut Ridge was one of the first cities in Arkansas to embrace passenger rail service and to completely renovate its historic depot, adding a waiting area for Amtrak passengers and offices for the local chamber of commerce. The station is located in a park in downtown Walnut Ridge.

The one story red brick structure has Mediterranean Revival details such as a red tiled roof. It was fully rehabilitated in 1995, with work funded by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and the Walnut Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce.

The earliest settlers in what became Walnut Ridge were Native Americans and then Spanish and French explorers. However, permanent European settlers did not come to the area until 1860. Colonel Willis Miles Ponder, a Civil War veteran from Missouri, formally founded the town in 1875. The site was chosen when it was announced that the railroad would be laying tracks through the area. Ponder originally called the town “Pawpaw” because of the locale’s many pawpaw trees. The city was situated at the junction of the Missouri Pacific (now Union Pacific) and the St. Louis & San Francisco (now BNSF) railroads.

In 1942, the United States government opened Walnut Ridge Flying School to train World War II pilots. During the war, German prisoners of war were held at the base. Part of the base was later turned into an airport, which has since had many visitors – including the Beatles – stop there. A museum in town is dedicated to the flying school.

Today, Walnut Ridge serves as the seat for Lawrence County. The Amtrak stop also serves the larger city of Jonesboro – home of Arkansas State University – adjacent retirement communities and Williams Baptist College.

Station Building (with waiting room)