2023 Passenger Rail No-Glide List:
The 10 Largest US METROS w/o Passenger Rail
The US has a quite a few large metros with no passenger rail service. Here’s a list of the ten largest by metropolitan population; along with population density and what their last service and station was. All of these cities have a rich history in rail ironically. Furthermore, a few of them are still large hubs for freight rail. In both the frequency and ease of service, as well as the architecture is detailed in culture. Finally, below each entry I have written any updates on possible future passenger service in each location.
1. Columbus, OH // Metro Pop. 2,122,271
Last Served by Amtrak’s The National Limited (1979)
Last Active Station: Columbus Union Station
Pop. Density: 4,109.64/sq mi (1,586.74/km2)
Amtrak and Columbus a preparing for Amtrak’s new 3C route through the center of the State of Ohio.
2. Louisville, KY // Metro Pop. 1,395,855
Amtrak’s The Kentucky Cardinal (2003)
Louisville Union Station
1,900/sq mi (720/km2)
Louisville and Amtrak are currently working together to bring a connecting service down from Cincinnati over from Indianapolis.
3. Tulsa, OK // Metro Pop. 1,023,988
Santa Fe’s The Tulsan (1971)
Tulsa Union Depot
2,088.67/sq mi (806.44/km2)
Tulsa was on included in the recent plans for the OKC-KC Amtrak route. :(
4. Knoxville, TN // Metro Pop. 879,773
Southern Railway’s Pelican (1970)
Southern Terminal Station
1,931.90/sq mi (745.91/km2)
"According to the report, the Tennessee Department of Transportation estimated travel times between major Tennessee cities will increase by up to one hour without improvements to the state's infrastructure, as the state grows. They said as a result, driving from Nashville to Knoxville would turn into a four-hour trip.” - 10 Knoxville News
5. McAllen, TX // Metro Pop. 870,781
Southern Pacific’s McAllen-Brownsville Shuttle (1952)
McAllen Station
2,283/sq mi (881.3/km2)
Texas Central is actually taking the lead bringing passenger rail back to the area with environmental impact statements already approved.
6. Sarasota, FL // Metro Pop. 836,995
Seaboard Coast Line’s Champion (1971)
Atlantic Coast Line Depot
542.0/sq mi (209.3/km2)
Sarasota has one Amtrak bus stop at a gas station... Nothing to report for future projects, but Brightline Florida may bring service around after their line has reached Tampa Bay/St. Pete area.
7. Dayton, OH // Metro Pop. 807,611
Amtrak’s The National Limited (1979)
Dayton Union Station
2,466.47/sq mi (952.31/km2)
"Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that he has directed the Ohio Rail Development Commission to apply for the first phase of funding to study expanding passenger rail service in Ohio. The state has identified two corridors to advance for consideration: Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati, the “3C&D line,” and Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit.” - Dayton Daily News
8. Boise, ID // Metro Pop. 764,718
Amtrak’s Pioneer (1997)
Boise Union Pacific Depot
2,860.54/sq mi (1,055.28/km2
“In 2022, the IIJA enabled the Federal Railroad Administration to launch the Corridor ID Program, a system to develop new passenger rail services.Under the program, regional officials have proposed a new train route between Boise and Salt Lake City.The Pioneer was the last train service between these cities, covering the 404-mile (650 km) route in about 7.5 hours in 1991.Development of this route is additional to the full Pioneer restoration study.” - Idaho DOT
9. Colorado Springs, CO // Metro Pop. 755,105
Burlington Route’s Texas Zephyr (1967)
Santa Fe Depot
3,156.7/sq mi (1,218.8/km2)
"This effort represents the first step in establishing a passenger rail station in Colorado Springs. The City has identified the location just south of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum as the preferred station site. This study provided the opportunity for the City and stakeholders to identify the location of a future passenger rail station in Colorado Springs, should agencies such as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District, Amtrak, and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) advance plans to provide passenger service. With this plan in place, the City is prepared if passenger rail service comes to Colorado Springs.” - Colorado Springs, CO Local Government
10. Des Moines, IA // Metro Pop. 699, 292
Rock Island’s Des Moines Rocket (1970)
Rock Island Depot
2,428.39/sq mi (937.60/km2)
"The opportunities presented by a Midwest intercity passenger rail system have been part of Iowa’s transportation plans since 1996. The most recent Iowa DOT study looked indepth at the entire corridor from Chicago to Council Bluffs-Omaha. The study determined that intercity passenger rail from Chicago across Iowa is a good idea for a number of reasons.” - IDOT
