Lawrence, KS (LRC)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$560,993

Station Ridership

FY 2011

6,410

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The current one-story brick passenger station in Lawrence was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (now BNSF Railway) and opened in 1956. It is an example of mid-century modern architecture. It replaced a two-story brick depot built in 1883 and damaged in the flood of 1951. The station was designed by local architects Warren Jones and Warren Corman, and shares design features with other small Santa Fe stations of the same period. The Lawrence station has been declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

At the urging of the volunteer group, Depot Redux, the city of Lawrence is negotiating to obtain ownership of the building from the BNSF by the end of 2012. Ownership by the city will facilitate the use of federal Transportation Enhancement program grants and other funding mechanisms for the restoration of the station. Amtrak funded replacement of the platform through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Additional Amtrak passenger train service through Lawrence is now under study the Kansas Department of Transportation. If implemented, use of the station will increase.

Lawrence sits along the banks of both the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers, and is the seat of Douglas County. Founded in 1854 for the New England Emigrant Aid Company by Charles Robinson, the city was named after Amos Adams Lawrence, a prominent politician, antislavery partisan and son of famed philanthropist Amos Lawrence.

The first locomotive crossed the Kansas River in 1867 on a temporary bridge, in order to receive railroad bonds in the new territory. However, the railroads did not open for business through Lawrence until late 1870, amidst intense competition between railroad companies for rights, land and financing.

Lawrence has a legacy of progressive thoughts and works, both politically and culturally, dating back to anti-slavery fights before the end of the Civil War. It is known as the home to Kansas University and the inventor of basketball, James Naismith. KU and its Jayhawks have a long history of a strong basketball program and they were the 2007 NCAA champions. Lawrence also features many museums and art galleries, as well as music festivals. Poet, author, and counterculture figure William S. Burroughs moved to Lawrence in 1983 and died here at age 83. Langston Hughes was born in Lawrence and his upbringing there was evident in many of writings.

This facility has a waiting room, but Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services.

Lawrence is served by two daily trains.

Station photo by Chuck Hatler