Passenger service in the Arcadia Valley was once served by St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway with a northbound depot in Arcadia and a southbound depot in Ironton.[2] A new depot was constructed by Missouri Pacific in 1941 to consolidate the depots in Arcadia and Ironton.[2] The new depot was called Arcadia-Ironton to assuage bickering between the two towns on its naming.[2] Passenger service ceased in 1965 and the depot is currently occupied by the Arcadia Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Iron County Historical Society.[2]
The proposed train station began in 2010 when Our Town Tomorrow coordinated with Chamber Tourism Committee for Arcadia Valley to pursue an Amtrak stop.[3] In 2012, Amtrak, MoDOT, Union Pacific, and community members came forward to work together drafting documents and secure funds for the new train station.[4] After securing over $600,000 in funds needed to construct the new station, ground was broken in April 2016.[3] The station was completed in October, and was formally opened with a ribbon cutting and ceremonial train stop for dignitaries on November 17, 2016.[4][5] Regular passenger service commenced on November 20, 2016.[6][7]