Kingman, AZ (KNG)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$1,662,150

Station Ridership

FY 2011

10,944

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

This one-story station was built in 1907 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company in Spanish Mission style. The construction utilized poured concrete in an effort to ensure a fireproofed building. This was a calculated decision on the part of the railroad, as two previous stations had previously burned down on that same location upon contact with hot cinders from passing steam engines.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 1986.

After eight years of work, the city is set to begin renovating the depot, which has been closed to the public in recent years. The city of Kingman received approximately $600,000 in Federal Transportation Enhancement grant funds in 2002, via the Arizona Department of Transportation, in order to begin the design process for a major restoration of the station. The project includes improving the building’s appearance by providing new stucco work, paint, doors, windows and landscaping. The building’s infrastructure is to be upgraded, including replacement of the building’s heating, plumbing, and electrical systems. The design’s intent is to restore the depot’s appearance to its 1907 look.

Multiple approvals and agreements were required before the work could begin in June of 2010. The city also had to secure a long-term property lease from Amtrak before an architect could begin the design work for the rehabilitation. Amtrak has offered to construct a new 700-foot platform, which also requires multiple approvals due to stringent safety regulations.

T.R. Orr was awarded the contract for external and internal renovation scheduled to be complete by late fall 2010, with passenger use of the depot beginning shortly thereafter. Until the station is re-opened, Amtrak passengers wait at a downtown storefront, a block from the closed station. They are escorted by the train crew as they walk down the street to board the train.

The interior renovation will include space for what may become a railroad museum. The train museum, should it be added, would be furnished with train artifacts provided by the Mohave Museum of History and Arts and local Santa Fe railroad retirees.

Prior to its official founding, the territory surrounding Kingman was inhabited by a mixture of Native American tribes. The first American expeditions to the area began in the early 1800s. Kingman was founded in 1882 and named for Lewis Kingman, who helped develop the route for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Needles, California, which passed through would eventually become Kingman. The town became a major shipping and trading center for precious metals and cattle after the railroad reached Kingman in 1883.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this station. Kingman is served by two trains a day.