You’d be hard-pushed to find anywhere more in the middle of nowhere in America than Sanderson.
Yet it’s firmly on the map thanks to two striking claims to fame – it’s the cactus capital of Texas and home to America’s least-used train station.
It lies on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle routes between Los Angeles and New Orleans/Chicago – and when we delved into Amtrak’s ridership data to pinpoint America’s 10 loneliest stations, we discovered that just 247 people used Sanderson’s newly renovated station in 2023.
It gets nine arrivals per week, with passengers able to catch six trains to Los Angeles and three to New Orleans or Chicago, the latter lying 1,350 miles away. The eastbound train splits in San Antonio, with the New Orleans service called the Sunset Limited and the Chicago train designated as the Texas Eagle.
This service operates America’s longest train route, taking 65 hours to cover the 2,728 miles between LA and the Windy City.
MailOnline Travel delved into Amtrak’s ridership data to pinpoint America’s 10 loneliest stations, and discovered that just 247 people used Sanderson station in Texas (above in 2023)
Sanderson lies on Amtrak’s Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle routes between Los Angeles and New Orleans/Chicago
Sanderson gets nine train arrivals per week. In this image, the Amtrak Sunset Limited train travels through the desert near the small town
The second-loneliest station is Montgomery, West Virginia, where just 266 people boarded or alighted a train in 2023
Alderson, West Virginia, is just four stops eastbound from Montgomery and the third loneliest station with 399 riders. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons licensing
Thurmond, West Virginia, one stop eastbound from Montgomery, comes fourth with 466 passengers. Picture courtesy of Creative Commons licensing
The second-loneliest station is Montgomery, West Virginia, where just 266 people boarded or alighted a train in 2023.
Montgomery sits on the Cardinal route between New York City and Chicago, with departures at 9.02am and 7.50pm daily. The entire Cardinal route takes 27 hours and 28 minutes to complete.
On the same line is Alderson, West Virginia, just four stops eastbound from Montgomery and the third loneliest station with 399 riders.
Thurmond, West Virginia, one stop eastbound from Montgomery, comes fourth with 466 passengers.
The fifth least-used station on the network is Rensselaer, which is also reached via the Cardinal service but lies further west in Indiana, and just two stops from Chicago. It welcomed 509 passengers in 2023.
The sixth least-used stop, Connersville, also in Indiana, is used by 528 passengers and is located four stops east from Rensselaer.
The fifth least-used station on the network is Rensselaer, Indiana, which welcomed 509 passengers in 2023. It is pictured here before the renovation of its Amtrak station
The sixth least-used stop, Connersville in Indiana, is used by 528 passengers a year
The seventh loneliest train station on Amtrak’s network is Lordsburg (688 riders) in New Mexico
In eighth position is South Shore-South Portsmouth, Kentucky, on the Cardinal line, with 870 riders
Schriever, Louisiana, in ninth place with 912 riders is one stop from New Orleans on the Sunset Limited route
The 10th loneliest station is Browning, Montana, on the Empire Builder route from Seattle to Chicago, with 935 riders
The Empire Builder’s full route takes between 45 and 47 hours. The train can be seen here crossing the North Fork Skykomish River in Washington
The seventh loneliest train station on Amtrak’s network is Lordsburg (688 riders) in New Mexico, which sits on the Sunset Limited route.
In eighth position is South Shore-South Portsmouth, Kentucky, on the Cardinal line, with 870 riders, followed by Schriever, Louisiana, in ninth place with 912. Schriever is one stop from New Orleans on the Sunset Limited route.
The 10th loneliest station is Browning, Montana, on the Empire Builder route from Seattle to Chicago, with 935 riders. The Empire Builder’s full route takes between 45 and 47 hours.
Our research also reveals that Washington DC has just one Amtrak train station – Washington Union Station, which saw 4.75million passengers in 2023. The stop is the second-most used on Amtrak’s entire network.
Similarly, the state of Idaho has just one Amtrak stop, Sandpoint, which saw 4,751 passengers in 2023 on the Empire Builder line. The city is known for its large lake and, in the winter, ski slopes.
Busy California’s least-used Amtrak station is Pomona, in Los Angeles, with 1,315 riders alighting from or boarding the Sunset Limited service, while tourism hotspot Florida’s loneliest station is Okeechobee (4,026 riders), which sits on the Silver Star route from Miami to New York City.
Amtrak does not have stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming or South Dakota.
