Last Modified: September 12, 2008Rail

The first railroad connections through Shreveport were made by the Vicksburg, Shreveport, & Texas Railroad Company prior to the Civil War, which unfortunately put a temporary hold on any further train line development. Construction resumed in 1866 and by 1873 when the Texas & Pacific Railroad Company completed their line linking Shreveport to Dallas, Shreveport had become a central hub for railroad transportation. During the 1880’s, additional train lines were constructed connecting Shreveport to Houston, Memphis and St. Louis. At about the same time, the Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Gulf Railroad completed a train line connecting Shreveport to Kansas City. In 1893, the Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Gulf Railroad was renamed Kansas City Southern.

Modern train transportation available today in Shreveport:

Shreveport is served by Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific Railroad. Kansas City Southern Railway, a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern, connects Shreveport to various locations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Texas and Tennessee along approximately 3,200 miles of tracks throughout the Midwestern and Southern United States. Union Pacific Railroad provides a comprehensive network of train lines connecting Shreveport to important commercial and industrial locations throughout the Sun Belt market and into Mexico and Canada. Kansas City Southern Railway is also expanding its service out of Shreveport to include Mexico and Canada. When combined with the facilities provided by the Port of Shreveport-Bossier, these train lines enable commercial businesses to reach all the domestic and international commodities markets.