Passenger rail provides residents of smaller communities around the country with a vital connection to neighboring municipalities, major metropolitan areas, and the nation as a whole. In this series’ introduction, we took a general look at how residents and their wider regions can benefit from passenger rail. Passenger rail can provide a comfortable, reliable, and safe transportation option for accessing education, visiting family, traveling to medical appointments, and other trips. The community as a whole often sees benefits through revitalization and development, less traffic, new businesses and expansions, increased quality of life for residents who no longer rely on cars for longer trips, and dedicated local beautification efforts that make the train station and surrounding area a local gathering spot.
Today, to continue our examination of the role passenger rail plays in these communities—as we look to restore service to a number of towns in Michigan through the North + South Passenger Rail Project—we take a look at two cities in the South that have seen immense benefit from their connection to the national rail network; Meridian, Mississippi, micropolitan population 88,000, and Ardmore, Oklahoma, micropolitan population 49,000. (By comparison, Traverse City's micropolitan population is 158,000)
MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI
Meridian is situated near the border with Alabama. Founded in 1860, the impetus for its existence was the construction of the railroad. In 1855, the Mobile & Ohio and Vicksburg & Montgomery Railroads established a junction with one another as they continued their respective expansions. At that junction, a station house was built, leading to a rise in local population, and five years later, the surrounding area would be incorporated as the town of Meridian.
The town grew during the Civil War, when the Confederacy used it as a strategic site because of its railroads. Later, Union forces demolished much of the area, including the original station house. Following the war, the town experienced a boom, growing into a city and evolving into a transportation hub as more railroads connected with its junction, providing easy access to the rest of the state and country. The boom would last until the Great Depression, when the railway industry in the city began to wane—though neither freight operations nor passenger service would go away in full. As nearby communities began to experience population declines, health care services clustered in the city and manufacturers maintained operations, providing a replacement that continues to fuel the city’s economic engine today.
In the 1990s, Meridian was looking to revitalize its downtown, at the heart of which sits Union Station. Union Station had seen better days; after being built as a grand Mission Revival style structure in 1906, it would see its clock tower demolished in the 1940s, while the entire structure save for its eastern wing would meet the same fate in 1966. The diminished station continued being served by passenger rail up to and after the formation of Amtrak, via the once-daily Crescent, which runs from New Orleans to New York.
Empty storefronts near the station have been turned into restaurants and shops. Several abandoned buildings have been refurbished before being reopened as office space and apartments.
In 1991, city leaders led by Mayor John Robert Smith, started a committee to redevelop the station into a multimodal transportation center, while maintaining the existing eastern wing. A study was conducted to prove viability and develop a model, followed by a series of public input meetings. Local officials then successfully pursued $5.1 million in state and federal funding, as well as $431,000 from Amtrak to embark upon the project. Construction began in 1993, and the $6.5 million station—complete with a brand new clock tower—opened for passenger service in 1997. As an intermodal center, it serves not just Amtrak but also Greyhound, taxi services, and acted as a hub for local operator Meridian Transit (now Community Regional Transportation). All of this happened at a time when the concept of a multimodal transportation center was something few municipal leaders in the south, or anywhere else in the country for that matter, were discussing.
Considering how well the investment paid off for Meridian, it’s surprising that other towns weren't following Meridian's model. The surrounding area has seen a dramatic revival. Empty storefronts near the station have been turned into restaurants and shops. Several abandoned buildings have been refurbished before being reopened as office space and apartments. And in 2018, the $45 million dollar Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience opened next door. According to the Institute for Sustainable Cities, by 2010 the total sum of investment in Meridian’s Depot District was $135 million. More development, beautification, and historical preservation efforts continue in the area today, all signs that the heart of Meridian beats strongly once more.
I spoke with former Mayor Smith, who’s now the chair of Transportation For America, about the steps required to get Meridian’s station project off the ground and what it means to the residents. One of the first things he emphasized was that taking action to redevelop the station was never a foregone conclusion. The initiative started with a city council vote that passed prevailed by a single yea. Securing funds from the state and federal governments was a challenge, and initial station plans had to be revised as construction quotes were too expensive. City leadership worked through these challenges though, partially with the help of former Federal Railroad Administration Chair Gil Carmichael, who grew up in Meridian and took an interest in the project.
| Above: Train station and new entertainment complex next door in Meridian, Mississippi. |
The thing that stuck with me the most about our conversation was the smile that came to Smith's face when he described how the train station kicked off a civic revival in town. “The hallmark of success in Meridian is that people expect things to be the way they are now, expect seeing visitors from all over going to restaurants or coming in their shops. They expect public transit and a good walking experience, and options for getting around.” Watching downtown go from a conduit for thru traffic with few visitors to somewhere people are working, living, and enjoying life in just a few decades has been a significant source of pride for the community, and people are excited about things to come.
I asked Smith what his advice was for places that are considering a train station revitalization project or constructing a new station. “Ensure the public and community institutions are involved in the process as a partner. Figure out why people want to take the train and where they want to take it. Immediately start thinking about how the station would best connect to the rest of the cityscape. Leverage partnerships with policymakers and key institutions to make sure you’re reaching key decision makers.” Each of these learnings is extremely salient as Groundwork and our community partners look to bring passenger rail back to central and northern lower Michigan.
ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA
Now we head a few hundred miles west to Ardmore, Oklahoma, a town not too far from the Texas border. Founded in 1887 when Oklahoma was known as Indian Territory, Ardmore, like Meridian, owes its existence to railroads—the Santa Fe Railway. The town did not, however, become a transportation hub. Its economic development largely came from cotton and oil fields on the periphery of the city limits. Oil remains a primary economic driver to this day, while the wider economy has shifted toward manufacturing and healthcare. The first official train station was built in the town in 1909. Six years later, in 1915, it was destroyed in an explosion caused by a natural gas leak, whichalso destroyed much of downtown and killed 50 people.
Work on a new station started shortly after initial recovery from the blast and lasted about two years, with the new building opening in 1917. Passenger rail service continued over the course of the 20th century, slowly declining until the formation of Amtrak in 1971, when Ardmore would become a stop on the Lone Star service. Just a few years later in 1979 the Lone Star would be cancelled, leaving Ardmore without any passenger rail service for the next two decades.
In 2017 Ardmore Main Street decided to embark upon a total redesign of the station area through the creation of Depot Park, a roughly 2.75 acre lot that would serve as a community gathering space and grand entrance to the station.
In 1998, Ardmore’s downtown development agency, Ardmore Main Street was able to buy the station from Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, the successor to Santa Fe Railway, which had originally constructed it. In June the next year, passenger rail service returned to the partially restored station as a part of Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer, which services a route that connects several smaller communities between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.
Ardmore has seen steady passenger traffic over the first two decades of the 21st century, even though the town is served by a single train once a day in each direction (similar to Michigan's Pere Marquette and Blue Water services). Something that bothered some city leaders is that an major eyesore greeted passengers: a vast gravel lot with construction debris sat right in front of the station's front door. In 2017 Ardmore Main Street decided to embark upon a total redesign of the station area through the creation of Depot Park, a roughly 2.75 acre lot that would serve as a community gathering space and grand entrance to the station. The project sought to complement the city’s redesign of station-adjacent Main Street and some of its side roads, which aimed to enhance area appeal by improving pedestrian-friendliness and aesthetics.
Depot Park consists mainly of a large field—perfect for events—subdivided by a path that leads people exiting the station toward downtown. Benches are plentiful. More than a dozen were installed, and a number of them are positioned under lighted shades or facing the train tracks. Perhaps the coolest part is the park centerpiece, Locomotive 1108. The train pulled what’s been dubbed The Mercy Train to Ardmore from Gainesville, Texas, full of medical and disaster aid volunteers plus whatever supplies could be mustered in response to the 1915 explosion. Since opening in 2022, the park has hosted several gatherings, such as pop-up shops, concerts, civic parties, festivals, farmers markets, and more.
Train station and new adjacent park, named Depot Park, in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Outside the park, things that may seem like minor changes to the streetscape have had a major impact on the urban realm. Using bump-outs to separate street parking allows greater pedestrian visibility, lower crossing times, and encourages drivers to be more alert about the need to stop. Trees provide shade, streetlights provide peace of mind, and both add to the scenery. A new roundabout acts as a mini Columbus Circle-esque feature of the station area, improves traffic flow, and might include a fixture like a fountain in the future. It also allows Main Street to convert its left turn lane into a beautifully manicured boulevard island. Impressively, all of these improvements were completed within the three years following the pandemic. Even though Ardmore has grown and suburbanized from its more compact early days, when you take a look around downtown, it’s clear that everything radiates from the train station.
Alison Meredith, General Manager at Main Street Ardmore, emailed me a statement about this project in which she said, “This transformation has been a game changer. Now, when passengers, resident or visitor, board or de-board the train, they are greeted by a vibrant space instead of a barren field. They get to experience a piece of Ardmore's history and enjoy a scenic view.” Train stations can provide communities with an incredible opportunity for welcoming individuals, but they also can very much be the catalyst for bringing together and uplifting people who experiences a place, whether they took the train or not. It’s too early for exact numbers on the economic impact Depot Park has had, but anecdotally, the train station has again become one of the city’s focal points.
Passenger rail can have a major impact on a community, whether it’s somewhere as large as New York City or as small as Ardmore and Meridian. The key is having municipal leaders and planners with sound, creative visions for integrating rail into the surrounding areas and culture and the ability to find funding to make that vision a reality. Ensuring that the train station is an asset that provides value to residents whether or not they take the train is an incredibly important step to accomplishing that. 
Michael Goldman Brown, Jr. is Groundwork's Transportation Specialist.
michael.goldmanbrown@groundworkcenter.org
