Flagstaff station

This article is about the Arizona station. For the Melbourne station, see Flagstaff railway station. For other uses, see Flagstaff station (disambiguation).

Flagstaff, AZ
General information
Location	1 East Route 66 Flagstaff, Arizona
Coordinates	35°11′50″N111°38′58″W / 35.197259°N 111.649365°W / 35.197259; -111.649365
Owned by	City of Flagstaff
Line	BNSF Seligman Subdivision
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Mountain Line
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: FLG
History
Opened	January 6, 1926 [1]
Passengers
FY 2024	30,471 [2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Kingman toward Los Angeles Southwest Chief Winslow toward Chicago
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Williams Junction Closed 2018 toward Los Angeles Southwest Chief Winslow toward Chicago Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Riordan toward Los Angeles Main Line Cliffs toward Chicago
Flagstaff Santa Fe station
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Architectural style	Tudor Revival
Part of	Railroad Addition Historic District (ID83002989 [3] )
Designated CP	January 18, 1983
Location

Flagstaff station is an Amtrak train station at 1 East Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. The station, formerly an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot, also contains a visitor center and rental-car pickup site and is located in downtown Flagstaff. Northern Arizona University is located nearby, as are the Lowell Observatory (where Pluto was discovered), Sunset Crater, the Walnut Canyon National Monument, the Arizona Snow Bowl ski resort and other attractions. It is also the closest Amtrak station to Grand Canyon National Park.

History

Early History

The 1889 A&P depot

The first rail station in Flagstaff was built in 1886 by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (A&P). That depot, constructed of wood, burned down and was replaced in 1889 by a stone structure which still stands to the present day. In the 1890s, the A&P was acquired by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF).

Early 20th Century History

The AT&SF built the present depot in 1925, with a public grand opening celebration held on January 5, 1926. The first trains to use the depot were on January 6, 1926. ^[1] The station's elevation is 6,902 feet (2,104 m) above sea level, making it one of the highest train stations in the Amtrak system. Adjacent, across San Francisco Street at 101 East Route 66, is the 1889 solid-red sandstone A&P depot, which the 1926 depot replaced. The 1889 structure was then converted for use as a freight depot, though it no longer serves in that capacity. ^[4]

Late 20th Century

On May 1, 1971, Amtrak took over operation of the AT&SF's passenger trains and continues to operate the Flagstaff Station from the historic 1926 depot, which it now shares with the Flagstaff Visitor Center. The building and two adjacent parking lots are owned by the City of Flagstaff, while the tracks are owned and operated by the AT&SF's successor, the BNSF Railway.

Recent History

Both the former Santa Fe Depot and the Atlantic and Pacific Depot that it replaced are contributing properties to the Railroad Addition Historic District. ^[5]

In October 2024, the city was awarded a $5 million federal grant to build a second platform serving a new third main track, south of the existing two main tracks, replacing a no longer used freight track which once served clients south and west of the depot. The project will also modify the existing platform for better accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act. ^[6]

The 1926 depot will celebrate its 100th anniversary as an active train station in January of 2026.

Routes

• Southwest Chief
• Mountain Line city bus service.
• Open Road Tours shuttle services to Phoenix, Camp Verde, Sedona, Oak Creek, Williams, and the Grand Canyon depart from the Amtrak station.
• Greyhound operates intercity bus service from its nearby station, located at 880 East Butler Avenue.

Some Greyhound and Open Road services may be booked through Amtrak.

References

1. "Flagstaff Station is Formally Opened". The Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. January 6, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved October 31, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal year 2024: State of Arizona" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
4. Bruner, Betsey (July 15, 2010). "Landscape holds remnants of Flagstaff's railroad past". Arizona Daily Sun . Retrieved October 28, 2011.
5. James Garrison; Jody Gebhardt; James Woodward (September 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Railroad Addition Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016. Also includes 1986 boundary increase.
6. "FY 2023-2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program: Project Summaries" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. p. 5.

External links

Media related to Flagstaff (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Flagstaff, AZ – Amtrak
• Flagstaff, AZ – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Flagstaff Amtrak Station (US Rail Guide – TrainWeb)
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Flagstaff Railroad Station