Temple, TX (TPL)
Once slated for demolition, the depot was saved through a community-led effort and now houses a waiting room, Temple Transit offices and the Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum.
315 West Avenue B
Temple, TX 76501
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 13,463
- Facility Ownership: City of Temple
- Parking Lot Ownership: City of Temple
- Platform Ownership: BNSF Railway
- Track Ownership: BNSF Railway
Todd Stennis
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnol@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).
Amtrak is located in Temple’s historic Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) station, built in 1911. This red brick and stucco Santa Fe depot is a quintessential example of Prairie-Beaux Arts architecture. The Santa Fe’s trademark, a cross in a circle, is displayed in the brickwork. The depot is featured in Jay C. Henry’s Architecture in Texas 1895-1945. The depot once served as the Southern Division headquarters of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe, an ATSF subsidiary.
In 1985, the Santa Fe vacated the building. It was slated for demolition, but a community effort led to its preservation. In 1995, the city of Temple purchased the depot and five acres of surrounding land, then submitted a grant application to the Texas Department of Transportation for funds to restore the station. The city received $2.4 million in ISTEA funds and restorations began in September 1999. The Railroad & Heritage Museum, formerly located in the 1908 Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe in Moody, Texas, depot, moved to Temple when the renovation was completed in the summer of 2000. Temple Transit has offices in the depot.
Temple, the “Wildflower Capital of Texas,” was named for Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway surveyor Bernard Moore Temple. It was founded in 1881 as a railroad town and was once the home of the Santa Fe Railway’s employee hospital. Both BNSF Railway Co., (the successor to ATSF) and Union Pacific have lines serving the city, and a BNSF rail yard and locomotive maintenance facility are located there. North of Temple, the Texas Eagle uses BNSF tracks; south of Temple, Union Pacific tracks.
The city is known for its health services, and is home to more physicians per capita than any other community in the country. The city is surrounded by lush prairie land, woodlands, and Lake Belton, a popular recreational destination and what is claimed to be one of the cleanest lakes in Texas. Temple is the hometown of football legends “Mean Joe” Greene and Sammy Baugh, actor Rip Torn, and Spoon singer Britt Daniel. Temple is mentioned in the novel and film, No Country for Old Men.
Station Building (with waiting room)
Features
- ATM not available
- No elevator
- No payphones
- No Quik-Trak kiosks
- Restrooms
- Ticket sales office
- Unaccompanied child travel allowed
- Vending machines
- No WiFi
- Arrive at least 45 minutes prior to departure if you're checking baggage or need ticketing/passenger assistance
- Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to departure if you're not checking baggage or don't need assistance
Baggage
- Amtrak Express shipping not available
- Checked baggage service available
- No checked baggage storage
- Bike boxes for sale
- Baggage carts available
- Ski bags not available
- Bag storage with Fee
- Shipping Boxes for sale
- Baggage assistance provided by Station Staff - During Ticket Office Hours - Daily
Parking
- Same-day parking is available; fees may apply
- Overnight parking is available; fees may apply
Accessibility
- No payphones
- Accessible platform
- Accessible restrooms
- No accessible ticket office
- Accessible waiting room
- No accessible water fountain
- Same-day, accessible parking is available; fees may apply
- Overnight, accessible parking is available; fees may apply
- No high platform
- Wheelchair available
- Wheelchair lift available
Hours
Station Waiting Room Hours
Mon | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Tue | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Wed | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Thu | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Fri | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Sat | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Sun | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Ticket Office Hours
Mon | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Tue | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Wed | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Thu | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Fri | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Sat | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Sun | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Passenger Assistance Hours
Mon | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Tue | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Wed | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Thu | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Fri | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Sat | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Sun | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Checked Baggage Service
Mon | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Tue | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Wed | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Thu | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Fri | 09:00 am - 07:00 pm |
Sat | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Sun | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm |
Parking Hours
Mon | 24 HOURS |
Tue | 24 HOURS |
Wed | 24 HOURS |
Thu | 24 HOURS |
Fri | 24 HOURS |
Sat | 24 HOURS |
Sun | 24 HOURS |
Quik-Track Kiosk Hours
Lounge Hours
Amtrak Express Hours
Mon | CLOSED |
Tue | CLOSED |
Wed | CLOSED |
Thu | CLOSED |
Fri | CLOSED |
Sat | CLOSED |
Sun | CLOSED |