Del Rio, TX (DRT)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$241,738

Station Ridership

FY 2011

2,242

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Del Rio train station was built in 1876. It is a brick construction with large, arching windows and a southwestern-style roof. Today, the building serves as the Del Rio Regional Transportation Center, an intermodal facility home to local transit, city bus and taxi companies, and staffed by city personnel.

Del Rio is situated in southwest Texas along the Rio Grande River. It is connected with its Mexican sister city, Cuidad-Acuña, via the Del Rio-Cuidad-Acuña International Bridge and the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing. As early as the 18th century, the Spanish established a presidential complex in Cuidad-Acuña, and some began settling on what is now the United States side of the Rio Grande. The proximity of present-day Del Rio to the San Felipe Springs made it a prime location for a settlement, especially in the hot, arid Texas climate. The Springs provide 90 millions of gallons of water per day. This abundant water supply attracted the attention of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in the late 19th century, and by 1883 Del Rio was connected by rail.

Local lore suggests that the town of San Felipe del Rio got its name from a Mass performed by local explorers on St. Philip’s Day, 1635. The name was eventually shortened to Del Rio. Early developers acquired tracts of land from the state of Texas, built irrigation canals in return, and then sold the land to farmers for profit. The town developed slowly until after the Civil War.

The town’s development was tied to the railroad, the military, agriculture and ranching, retail business, and government employment. Del Rio’s proximity to Mexico also attracted many tourists. In the 1880s, sheep and goat ranching developed as a result of the railroad. During that time, SP built a line from west to east, linking up with the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad forty miles west of Del Rio.

Del Rio is home to the Laughlin Air Force Base, the busiest pilot training base in the U.S. Air Force. The Army Air Corps opened Laughlin Field in 1942, but closed it in 1945 when the World War II ended. Tension escalated once more during the Cold War, and the base was rebuilt. In 1962, Laughlin-based U-2s took photographs of medium range ballistic missiles in Cuba. This photo intelligence sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The city’s history is preserved at the Whitehead Memorial Museum in downtown Del Rio. The museum consists of several historically significant buildings and focuses on the 19th century.

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

Del Rio is served by two tri-weekly trains.