North Palm Springs, CA (PSN)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$544,446

Station Ridership

FY 2011

5,897

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The Palm Springs station consists of a modern covered waiting area constructed by the city in 1999; it is about eight miles north of downtown. The shelter’s appearance echo the colors and forms of the desert upon which it rests. Attractive native vegetation surrounds it, adding a soft texture that contrasts with the structure’s bold forms.

Palm Springs has had a number of stations over the years located in various quadrants of the metropolitan area. In the late 1930s, Southern Pacific built a handsome Spanish Colonial Revival style building in West Palm Springs. With a red tiled roof and large arched windows, at one time it welcomed daily trains carrying Hollywood stars, sun worshippers and residents. Known as “America’s Winter Playground,” Palm Springs is famous for its average 354 days of sun per year. Trains of the railroads’ golden era that stopped in Palm Springs included the Golden State, Super Chief and City of Los Angeles.

Still known today for its Hollywood connections, Palm Springs had much humbler beginnings, yet always had one very popular feature: water, particularly mineral springs. Cahuilla Indians called the area “Se-Khi” (boiling water); early 19th century Spanish explorers bestowed the name “Agua Caliente” (hot water); and U.S. government surveyors in the 1850s noted the spring and palms that surrounded it, thus giving the town its modern name. In 1877, the federal government granted Southern Pacific title to the odd numbered parcels of land for 10 miles on either side of the tracks; the even parcels went to the Cahuilla Indians and became part of the Aguas Calientes reservation.

The 1920s brought Hollywood glamour as the area became a popular spot for the filming of movies. By the 1950s, the town’s experimental mid-twentieth century Modernist architecture, marked by its extensive use of glass, deep, shady overhangs, and the idea of fluid indoor/outdoor spaces provided the town with a very distinct aesthetic, which is today enjoying a great popular revival.

If the heat ever gets to be too much, visitors and residents know to take a trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which travels more than 2 miles up a steep incline into the surrounding mountains. Aside from the amazing view of the Coachella Valley, the change in altitude can also result in a 30 degree temperature drop.
Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this facility.

Palm Springs is served by tri-weekly train service.