Beaumont, TX (BMT)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$194,818

Station Ridership

FY 2011

2,401

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

Amtrak’s current stop in Beaumont is a slab of concrete (the site of a steel building that served as Beaumont’s station until the mid-2000s)) located in a quiet area of the city. The original depot was a brick structure built by the Texas & New Orleans Railroad. Beaumont is Amtrak’s only stop in Southeast Texas, and is the sole city in Texas served by Amtrak with no station. For years, Beaumont has requested improvements to the stop, and support has finally come in the form of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Many city officials believe the current location of the stop is a poor one, and that the depot should be moved downtown adjacent to the Neches River. Proponents of the move argue that the current location is difficult to find, is too desolate, and has little parking. The road leading to the station is in poor condition as well, and a downtown station would be closer to other city facilities.

While many believe a downtown location is imperative, the move is controversial. Possible downtown site locations would affect Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railroad tracks. The Recovery Act funds allocated by Amtrak for the Beaumont project were not designated for a new station, but to simply improve upon the current site.

As the discussion continues, Amtrak will use ARRA funding to, at a minimum, improve access to trains for passengers requiring wheelchairs as well as lighting and other site improvements. The deadline for completing work under the Federal Recovery Act is February 17, 2011.

Beaumont was laid out in 1835, when New Orleanian Henry Millard arrived and purchased 50 acres of land on the Tevis River bluff. The town continued to grow slowly until the Civil War, which greatly hindered its development. During the 1870s and 1880s, the railroads began to develop, creating new routes for lumber, the industry that quickly began to dominate Beaumont.

However, the lumber industry paled in comparison to the discovery of oil. On January 10, 1901, the first gusher erupted on Spindletop Hill. By April 1901, there were six gushers on the hill, and Spindletop’s production was far greater than anywhere in the rest of the world. Beaumont became a boomtown.

Today, Beaumont is a major marine center with a sizable ship and barge building industry, while continuing to have the largest concentration of oil refineries in the country. Cultural attractions in Beaumont include the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Beaumont Botanical Gardens, and the Spindletop-Gladys Boomtown Museum.

One of the greatest swing trumpeters of all time, Harry James, spent his childhood years in Beaumont, and country crooner George Jones was born near Beaumont.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing and baggage services at this facility.

Beaumont is served by tri-weekly trains.