Houston Amtrak Station

The Heartland of America tour with 1 of the largest steam engine Big Boy 4014 began its route in Cheyenne Wyoming and made it's way to Houston Amtrak today. It was majestic and even had time to see the conductor and steam rising from its black engines as it parked on the Amtrak rails downtown. As a person who was fascinated with trains, in my 20s I had even taken a magical 3 week trip with my sister on Amtrak from Atlanta to Boston and back. Magical Memories.

I've taken the train from Houston to San Antonio a few times now, and each time has been a pleasant experience. The lobby is very clean and the staff has been great explaining what can be carried on etc. The train is very spacious compared to a plane or bus. You have the ability to practically lay out on the seat with the footrest and the range of motion the seat has. While aboard, you can walk to the observation car and sit down, go to the restaurant and eat, or sit in your assigned seat. There are plenty of restrooms available. It does take one hour longer via train versus vehicle, but it's worth it. I'll gladly take the train on my next trip home. Peace.

Very clean facility. The staff were all very nice. They have a soda and snack vending machine and a water fountain for last minute snacks. Easy to check your bags if you choose.

My name is Kendrick Turner and I am in the Marine Corps 25 years. I always travel Amtrak Amtrak is one of the best. I encourage everyone if you have never been on our Amtrak you need to do so I have no problem with Amtrak the people are great if you are handicap, you can get the red cap and treat you right wheelchair walkers you need to go tell out Amtrak to take you for all of your transportation needs needs. I am Kendrick Turner and I promise you you'll be pleased. What you get what you see is what you get the best. And please sign up for Amtrak guest rewards. You can use your guest rewards for any of your travel. Try it out. It works.

Took the Sunset Limited out from this station and was impressed. The station was clean and the seats were in great condition. I loved the historical displays about the Sunset Limited as well as other routes. Overall, good station!

I recently took a trip from Houston and back on Amtrak. The station is clean and well maintained but not very inspiring for a city the size on Houston. Seating is adequate. When I mention my trip, most of my friends are amazed to find that we even have a train station or that a passenger train stops in Houston. I am guessing that the current station was built some time in the late 1960s or perhaps the 1970s. It replaced a grander building that was located next door approximately where the old post office (and future multi-use center) is. Considering that we only have three trains a week (each way) I guess it is not that bad.

Union Pacific Big Boy Tour- largest and oldest steam engine in the US met George Bush 4141 during its final leg of the tour at the Houston Amtrak Station. The conductor remained inside the engine as visitors took tons of pics on the train platform. Fire burned underneath the engine; the wheels were over 5 feet tall; and there were paper towels on the ground absorbing some spilling engine oil. It wasn't alarming because no repairs were being done. I can only imagine the tons of cargo this engine pulled across the US in its heyday. It was great to see a part of history.

UPDATE Finally I have booked another train trip to New Orleans for the fall. So excited!!! I will try very hard to take new photos and write another updated review. This trip will be with a very good friend and she likes to travel by train, too!! Maybe the parking will have improved but the bathrooms should certainly have improved as they were working on the new ones a few years ago unless Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc!! Stay posted Update If you are traveling to this train station to take the train get a friend to drive you or take a Taxi, Uber or Lyft to the station. The bathrooms are new again. Everyone was helpful. The trip was uneventful. No movie stars on this trip. Yes the waiting of freight trains to pass did interfere with our travel time to New Orleans, but we had an enjoyable trip. My next train trip on the Sunset Limited will be to San Antonio for a Sweet Adeline conference. Happy travels.

Took Amtrak from Chicago to Longview, started with baggage check in and realized nothing has changed with Amtrak. The Amtrak employee was typical Amtrak attitude, angry, nasty, annoyed, & left the passenger (me) thinking two things, 1) HERE WE GO AGAIN & 2) WHY DO I KEEP TRYING AMTRAK. Dinning cars are gone, replaced with more passenger cars. Viewing scenic cars are gone, replaced with more passenger cars. Passengers on drugs & alcohol leaving me with no sleep and they were running around acting crazy and I'm pulling a 24 hour shift being a security guard preventing the theft my belongings. Bathrooms so putrid & nasty that you stop consuming beverages in fear of having to use one. Took the shuttle bus from Longview to Houston. When I arrived at my hotel I booked my flight home so I would not have a repeat of the nightmare I had getting here. The use and abuse of alcohol & drugs was so obvious as breathing the putrid air gave away the shenanigans leaving me to be envious I was not tucked away & sitting with the Amish or the Mennonites. Finally I would also say the doors between the cars were non operational & left open permanently during the adventure causing much noise and also preventing sleep. Come ride the Texas Eagle! , 24 of pure hell.

Review of the station ONLY Love the service but the station is really lacking. Hard places to sit, no food except for vending machines and the bathroom was horrendous. The train was amazing but the station would make we want to stay away.

About 4 years ago from Houston to Orlando station. My designation was originally was from Houston to Tampa the Amtrak conductor decided he wanted to be late on arrivals to each station in route to Tampa here where I live. The train was five hours late arriving to Houston Amtrack station plus he didn't wait for the food that was suppose to be waiting for them in New Orleans the food was expensive especially breakfast, lunch and dinner don't forget the snack area. The restrooms are small like you see on the airplanes I like the second story seats they were more comfortable than the seats below. If you do decide to go pick the second story seats and bring plenty of cash for food. When we finally arrived to the Orlando train station it was 5 days later than scheduled and we had to bus in to a different terminal. The choice is yours. Over all cleainess of the train inside where the passengers sat was very clean and neat nothing to worry about. The passengers were nice and friendly some just wanted quietness to their designation.

It's a sad little station for such a large metropolitan area. But maybe people don't take the train much down here. The station is clean, restroom as well. There's a cool display on the back walls about train service in Texas through the years. I can't say I'd recommend this place, but you can't avoid it either since it is the only option for arrivals and departures. The connecting bus to Galveston was on time, clean, and had the most friendly driver (Pam) I've ever encountered.

People do not realize that the train is faster nicer and less expensive then the bus for a regular fare. I think they need billboard adds around the city and remind people of this. I remember in the past the fares were on the high side but now you can ride the train round trip to OKC to Houston for 100 dollars cheaper then the (miserable) fee after fee Greyhound bus. The online train booking site can approve by letting you know when you will be riding in a bus even if it is only a shuttle. I will be riding the train to Galveston and San Antonio next trip!

Amtrak from Houston to Lake Charles is a very surreal romantic ride through the back woods and lakes of Texas and Louisiana very scenic. This could be a great experience if your not bothered by delays due to freight trains. Seating area is very spacious along with the complimentary viewing compartment. Food is a little pricy so pack some snacks and lunch. No wifi so bring entertainment and there are power sockets. Restrooms are very small all this space they should have a nice size restroom. It's a cool experience with a few upgrades it could be a great train experience.

If you hate airports/airplanes like me and want to try something new, try the Sunset Limited line via Amtrak from Houston to LA! It's a 36 hour trip (yup you read that correctly -- 2 nights with 1 full day in between) with multiple stops in San Antonio, Alpine, Deming, and other cities across the SW US -- lots of small towns, rock, desert, hilly/mountain-like things and a beautiful sunset await you! The train leaves from Houston twice a week. I left on a Saturday night around 7pm and woke up in LA at 5am on Monday morning. If you're like me and have never done a cross-country train trip like this before, here's what to expect: -- you can pay for a rail fare which buys you a an assigned coach seat on the train OR you can opt to pay an additional fee to purchase a sleeper car. A sleeper car sleeps 2 but whether or not you're traveling with another person, it's a set fee for the whole car, which includes linen/towel service as well as 4 full service meals in the dining car. The base rail fee was around $125-ish and the sleeper car was around $500 extra on top of the rail fee. -- the sleeper car converts to beds at night but during the day is 2 really comfy big seats facing each other. A steward on the train is assigned to help you convert it the first time so you don't feel like such a dummy. -- This is Amtrak. It is not a Harry Potter train, much to my sadness, so it's not exactly nice or new. The amenities are similar to an airplane, with a tiny bathroom containing a tiny toilet with a deafening flush feature and a shower. The shower is actually not bad, hot water and pretty spacious. There are fresh linens, pillows, and towels everywhere on the train so grab them whenever you need em. The food was actually quite good, esp the breakfast...mmm! Everything you order at your meal is paid for with your ticket, so get everything you want. Except alcoholic beverages and tips -- that comes out of pocket so bring some $1s/$5s for tipping. 2 outlets inside each sleeper car. Cell phone service only in the big towns so don't rely on it too much. -- Each person can bring a luggage with them and a personal item. Really I bet you could bring a lot more cause there's no security check or anyone measuring your stuff before you get on the train. You literally go from having your ticket checked to stepping onto the train (it's kind of odd actually, I was reflexively expecting a TSA officer to jump out and start snooping through my stuff). Most people kept all their luggage with them inside their sleeper car stuffed to the side of their chairs. There are also luggage racks outside the cars for larger things. -- Bring snacks and drinks with you! There's a snack bar in the viewing car but it's meh. -- The viewing car is packed. This is theoretically the best place to see the beautiful scenery from all sides of the train at once, but unless you want to squish in between two strangers, it's probably not preferred. We spent our time hopping from our sleeping car to the empty one across from us to see all the scenery. Would I take it again? Probably not. It was great for a bucket list sort of experience but the scenery wasn't THAT breath-taking (I'm more of a tree/mountains kinda person) and the really beautiful parts (southern California) are passed through at night so you can't even see it =( I think I'd do another long train ride again, but this time from Seattle down to LA...I heard the Pacific coastline is gorgeous and well worth it!

For the fourth largest city in America, our station is a pretty sad reflection of our status. But, I don't blame Amtrak for it: in the heyday of rail travel, we used the gorgeous Beaux Arts-style Union Station downtown. Now that it has been appended to the modern Minute Maid Park baseball stadium, there's no chance that it will be returned to use as our rail platform. Anyway, today's station is little more than a parking lot with a small building next to the Houston Permit Center and close to the municipal courts and jail. It is served by the thrice-weekly Sunset Limited, which runs from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Since Chicago is the major east-west hub, you can take a daily bus to Longview and catch the "Texas Eagle" headed north to Chicago or switch in NOLA to the "City of New Orleans" train northbound or "Crescent" to Washington and New York. Since I hadn't been to NOLA since prior to Hurricane Katrina, I opted to join my friend (Soap Opera Dude) along the way. Since he lives/works in Hollywood (hence the nickname), he was taking the Sunset Limited east - and I boarded at our local station. The inside of the station is very utilitarian: the check-in counter, a few wooden pews, scuffed linoleum, and one small TV. I dared not go into the restroom so I don't have a report on that for you - I do have limits, you know. If you end up taking the train, be sure to bring valid and active ID: I witnessed one member of a party of 4 being denied check-in by the local station agent since he only had expired ID to present at the ticket window. The agent was adamant in refusing his pleas, which was easily overheard since he had to beg through the small hole in the Plexi-glass barrier. Don't be that guy. (I ended up not seeing him on the train so he may have had to take the bus. But, he was wearing an ugly hipster hat so this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Meow.) Since SOD had a roomette, he added me to the passenger manifest at no cost to me. My one-way coach-class return from NOLA cost me $39.75 under a special "Smart Fare" plan available on their website. The coach seats are very comfortable: by way of explanation, imagine a wide first-class seat on an airplane, add footrests and cloth upholstery, a tray table twice the size, and add a curtain on the large window and you've got your coach-class seat. There are only four seats per row and the conductor will assign you a full pair of seats if space allows. Some other tips: 1. You can bring up to 2 bags for free plus an added bag in the roomy overhead rack above your seat. 2. Cell phone calls should only be made in the lounge car to minimize noise in the coach car where people may want to nap - conductors are good about directing callers to take it to the lounge car. 3. The lounge car has the observation seats on the upper level while snacks can be bought on the first level - many patrons bring a stuffed backpack on board in order to avoid buying the overpriced items on board. There are no microwaves or refrigerators available to patrons so room temperature snacks are the key. If you buy a cold item in the lounge car, they will nuke it for you in the microwave as part of your purchase. 4. Bathrooms and handicapped seats are on the lower level of all cars, while regular seats and sleeping accommodations are on the upper level. 5. Another benefit of train travel is that one can roam from car-to-car to stretch one's legs. 6. Smoking is allowed at announced major stops. Even the non-smokers get off and wander the platform to get some fresh air, too. An odd thing about train travel is that the train can arrive early at a station but cannot leave earlier than the posted time; of course, a train can arrive late at a stop but often makes up the time en route. Luckily, on Amtrak's website, you can use the "Track a Train" feature to get real-time updates of where your train is at any given moment to minimize waiting too long at the station.

The station reminds me of a bus station- old, Spartan and boring. However the two reps were courteous and professional. Be aware that this location is hard to find. It's at the edge of nowhere. My suggestion is to Google Aquarium Restaurant and then ask for directions to station. Also be aware that there's less than 10 over night parking spaces.

I recently took my first train ride on Amtrak, The Sunset Limited, from downtown Houston to New Orleans and it was the best domestic traveling experience I have ever had. Inexpensive; a one way ticket is $48 and the New Orleans station is less than a mile from the French Quarter. Comfortable; No TSA groping sessions, coach seats are massive with tons of leg room. I did, however, spend most of my time in the observation car, but could have relaxed or taken a nap with no problem in my assigned coach seat. Very entertaining; With the observation car, dinning car, bar , snack bar area and other interesting travelers, I was never bored and there was plenty to see and do on the 9 1/2 hour journey. Luggage; The amount you can bring is more than you need. You can bring bikes and some trains will let you bring you golf clubs as carry on. Depending on the route you take there may be a small charge (like 5 or 10 bucks) for your bike - check first. Amtrak is an awesome way to travel and I am already planning my next trip from Houston to Chicago.

Never had issue. Travel ALOT. love the trains. love Customer Service and all the people I met along the way.

Went to Chicago IL from Houston Tx the only problem in the entire trip was the bus service Amtrak has assigned to Lone star coaches it is terrible ruin the whole trip literally , you got to take the bus which is really in poor condition with no leg space and unprofessional drivers who you gotta deal with for almost 4 hours that takes you to Longview tx and by then your legs and back sitting in cramped up seats gives up and you dont enjoy as much on the rest of the trip. Now the train itself isnt that bad if you are travelling as a couple its best option to take bedroom as thats quite nice with your own private bathroom for shower, dinner and breakfast or lunch options are really great good food but its a hit or miss with the servers in dining as whn i was going i had really good time with Mr Ramon but on the was back the servers (dont rem the name) were horribly rude with everyone. I must say Amtrak for the amount of price they charge for tickets from passengers they must do really something towards both the bus service plus dining attendants ( minus Mr Ramon)

You've gotta love trains........I've ridden most of the Sunset Limited route. Love the scenery, love the ride. A good opportunity to meet other travelers and just relax. No TSA, no crowds, no worries. Expect an occasional delay, that's part of the journey. Los Angeles Union Station is fantastic and worth the journey alone. Transfer to the Surfliner at LA for more spectacular scenery. I've always found the crew to be extremely friendly, just be nice. Daydream about the early settlers in west Texas and be amazed by the view out your window. Enjoy!

I was going to Marshall, TX from Houston to see my family. I decided to take Amtrak to see what it was like. 90% of my trip was on a Thruway bus to Longview, so this review is mostly about the bus ride. The train ride from Longview to Marshall is only about 30 miles. The bus left on time down to the minute. It took about 4.5 hours to get to Longview from Houston with no delays due to traffic. About 2.5 hours into the trip, there was one stop on Hwy 259 a couple of miles outside of Nacogdoches. The stop was at a truck stop that had a Subway. The stop was about 30-40 minutes long. As we were leaving Houston, the driver warned us that if anyone used the bathroom, then it would stink up the bus. I didn't use the bathroom on the bus, so I don't know what it's like. There is wifi service on the bus that uses cell towers. I tested it in Houston and I was getting close to 5mb up and down. I spent most of my time watching movies that I had saved to an SD card on my tablet, so I didn't really use the wifi that much. There was no wifi service on the train. Each seat has two power outlets. The seats on the bus are by far the worst part of the trip. Anyone over 6 feet tall is going to have to sit sideways to keep their knees from being pressed into the back of the seat in front of them. Using my laptop while on the bus wasn't an option for me. There was no fold down tray and I doubt there would have been enough room for me to set it on my lap. The seats on the train are so much nicer than the bus seats. Someone would probably have to be 8' tall before they would have to worry about leg space on the train. Noise from the other riders wasn't that bad, but that all depends on who you happen to be riding with that day. The bus wasn't crowded, but I could still hear peoples cell phones making noises. Some had the GPS navigation going on there phone with the audio turned up so you could hear all the voice directions. Someone else had the clicks for every letter they typed in a text message turned up to max. On my next trip, I will have a good pair of noise isolating earbuds or headphones instead of the loose fitting earbuds I had. I'm also going to figure out a way to strap my tablet to the headrest of the seat in front of me so I don't have to hold the tablet the whole time. It takes me about 4 hours for me to drive and Amtrak was about 1.5 hours longer than that, but it was nice to not have to actually drive. I could just sit back (or slightly sideways) and catch up on movies and TV shows that I needed to watch. I'm sure I will be making more trips on the Amtrak bus.

One of the things I enjoy about traveling by train is stopping at quant little train stations along the way. Houston amtrak station is the exception. It looks like a 1975 Greyhound bus station. Bathroom was just yukky! I was expecting much better for such a historic and wonderful city as Houston.

Quick check in, knowledgeable staff, easy to get on the bus. I will say that I was dropped off at the station because there is very little parking and the building itself is rather small, but no hassles.

Awsome ride. My first time and enjoyed it. I enjoyed the comfort of seating and able to charge my phone and laptop

This train station for the fourth largest US city is simply shameful. And since the City of Houston has taken over the old warehouse building next door, there is no more convenient, free parking. Even little ol' Lake Charles has a more inviting train station! I would think that the City would have more pride than to welcome passengers to the area through such a shabby station. A lot of interesting history on the station walls, though!

The service was very rude and not very cooperative, didn't pay attention to the people that need help or assistance. When I was there the lady didn't acknowledge me when I had a question

If I could, I would give it no stars.. Me and my fiancé took a train from Houston to Los Angeles.. I semi knew what we were getting in to, but nothing could have prepared us for the journey we set forth on..1. The staff on the train were really terrible. They were really rude, with no intentions of helping anyone who needed it. God forbid you ask any kind of question and get talked to like an infant, or get a single word WRONG answer with them scurrying off. The attendant over the loud speaker did not know how to talk literally, and was no comedian by any means, even though he tried to carry himself in that manner. I could go on and on about the stupidity and arrogance of these workers but I want to get on with the review. 2.We must've stopped 25 times due to something or another. The city stops were ok, but we broke down 2 or 3 times which was very aggravating. 3. The bathrooms were a disaster on the train. Feces smeared on toilet, I saw some on the sink even. Some guy in our cart literally decomposed himself without any shame nor doing anything about it. 4. The passengers on the train were obnoxious, not giving an inch in a rather small, confined personal hell. 5. All food and drinks are extremely over priced. 2.75 for a can of Pepsi.. I can get the same thing at a store for .80 cents. I seriously want to keep going but I feel like it all resorts back to the ugliness of the staff and other passengers.. We aren't saints, but we know right from wrong and nice from rude. If you take anything from this, please fly to wherever you are going. DO NOT TAKE AN AMTRAK TRAIN, Please! P.s. Señor Lopez in the cafe on train 2 coming back from LA was the only cool staff member on the whole trip!!!!!

For a city of over 5 million people, the Houston Amtrak station is a disgrace. When we got off at Bloomington Ill and saw how beautiful and modern that station was, built with government funds with a huge picture of Pres. Obama in the lobby, with a hugely smaller population than Houston, it was really disappointing that our Mayor doesn't find funds as well to upgrade our station. Many people don't like flying anymore and Amtrak could capitalize on this. Also on a recent trip to Europe, Amtrak should at least initiate a first class car on the train for business people who would pay a higher fee to sit in a quiet car with wifi. Other than that, travelling by train is very relaxing and we will continue travelling this way. Amtrak is also very flexible with their fares. Having to take the uncomfortable bus from Houston to connect in Longview to go anywhere north, is not good. We plan to use the new high speed train to connect in Dallas when it is finished.

This station is more like a museum on the inside with alot of historical pictures and memoribilia and antique train stuff on the walls. Recommended for a visit if nothing else. Amtrak's famous Sunset Limited train can take you east to New Orleans or west all the way to Los Angeles (and other intermidiate stops, like Alpine,El Paso,Tucson,Palm Springs,Ca- just to name a few stops).I got a sleeper once all the way to Los Angles.The train had a dining car,lounge car and boy was it enjoyable.I'll never fly again if I can help it. The train takes a little longer, but it's worth the extra relaxation time you get. Station crew is very knowledgeable and helpful & will explain it to you. Many Houstonians don't even know about this service, even though the train has been running continously since 1883. Many folks don''t know that the train has sleeping cars on it. They are constantly adding more cars onto the train to keep up with public demand. Recommended AAAA++++++.

This place is definately worth the visit. If you are traveling on Amtrak's famous Sunset Limited or just visiting the depot. It's like a museum on the inside with some old photos, posters and timetable that remind you of the good old days of rail travels, even the outside is not very attractive. Houston's great OLD depot was demolished in the early 60's and just like many towns, they lost thier old depot. The Sunset Limited starts in New Orleans and goes through Houston,San Antonio,El Paso, Tucson, Maricopa (phoenix,AZ), Palm Springs and a great many more intermidiate stops. Smoking stops are provided and the food and liquor selections are excellent. I recommend sleeping car accomodations for longer trips, but even the chair cars have 3 times the leg room a plane has. You CAN"T compare a train to a bus. I'll never fly again after taking the train. One must experience Amtrak's long distance trains.